In Need of Sirius Help
by SP-in-Sirius-Denial
Summary: Harry is having the worst summer imaginable with the Dursleys, Sirius and Remus save the day. Harry and the others have to come over many challenges, and face many, many hardships. Will Harry survive the Journey? *COMPLETE*
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story except Sorai, and a few other small irrelevant characters. The really important ones belong to an excellent author by the name of JK Rowling. The plot is my idea, but it's of course based on hers...you know the drill!  
  
Okay, so this is my first fanfic ever. My guess is that it sucks, but if you like stories about Sirius and Harry, stick with it. My writing usually improves once I get into a story. I really don't have a major plotline yet, but I'm sure one will pop into my head soon enough. Oh yah, I'm American, so I'm sorry if this story has too much Americaness to it, it's the best I could do!  
"I won't cry, I won't cry! Come on, I can't let them see what they're doing to me!" Harry thought desperately. As he lay on the floor of his room, circled by the Dursley family who were all staring menacingly at him.  
  
Some how the Dursley's had found out what happened to Harry during his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Did they care what had happened, that Harry had almost died several times, and had witnessed a fellow student die? Of course not! Rather, they found the piece of information rather amusing. Harry wasn't quite sure how the Dursley's had found out about the previous year, and wasn't about to ask. "Dumbledore," thought Harry the first time the Dursley's mentioned it. "Dumbledore probably told them in hopes that they'd be nicer to me this year. Man, was he wrong."  
  
Instead of calling him boy, the Dursley's began to refer to Harry as 'The Murderer'. They had gathered that if Harry hadn't been involved, Cedric Diggory would still be alive.  
  
When he first heard them calling him 'The Murderer', Harry had been shocked. When he found that it was going to continue, he was a little hurt, but generally didn't care too much. After all, it was the Dursley's. However, as the summer wore on, Harry began to feel worse and worse about being called 'The Murderer'. Since they day it happened, Harry had felt responsible for Cedric's death, but had never considered himself to be his actual murderer.  
  
The real murderer was Voldemort, and Harry understood that. But constantly being called "The Murderer', slowly changed the way Harry thought. The more he heard it, the more he felt it to be true. Before he went to bed at night, he felt overwhelming guilt about it all.  
  
Yet the nickname alone wasn't enough to bring Harry Potter to tears. When any of the Dursley men were feeling particularly angry, they decided to use 'The Murderer' as they're personal punching bag. Petunia was too weak to do anything to Harry, so she would watch with a satisfied smile on her face. They would find Harry in his room or doing his chores and begin hitting and kicking him, while repeating his new nickname over and over.  
  
At the moment, Harry was looking around in exasperation after a particularly hard beating. "I think they broke a couple of ribs this time," Harry thought in agony. "Oh no, here comes Uncle Vernon's foot again."  
  
"Take that you little murderer! You vile piece of dirt!" Vernon spat at Harry before kicking Harry sharply in the head. Harry no longer had to worry about holding back his tears, as the blow to the head had knocked him unconscious.  
  
Harry woke up hours later. It was now quite dark, but Harry couldn't focus his eyes enough to read his watch. He was still lying on the ground, and tried to get up, but couldn't even reach a sitting position. As he tried to move, sharp pains shot through every part of his body. "Even my hair hurts," Harry though dryly to himself. "What am I supposed to do now?" He looked desperately around his deserted room for something to pull himself up with. He couldn't get his legs or back to move, but his arms still worked just fine. The closest thing he could get to was an old desk chair piled with clothes. Using his arms, Harry scooted his body towards the chair until he was close enough to grasp the seat of it. He gathered all his strength and pulled up on the chair. He realized a little to late what the effect of this would be, and found himself flat on the ground again, this time with the chair across his already injured chest, and clothes landed on top of his head.  
  
"It really can't get much worse can it," Harry asked himself. He then remembered who we was, and thought "Oh yes, it definitely can."  
  
Harry decided to give up on trying to stand up, and decided to call it a night. He pushed the chair off his chest and threw the clothes across the room.  
  
The only way Harry could get to sleep was to try to ignore his pain, and his guilty thoughts. These were of course the only two things that Harry could think about, and always found it extremely hard to think of anything else. Harry could often find sleep, however, imagining how his summer could have been different. "I could be at Ron's right now! Or if Sirius weren't still on the run, I could be hanging out with him. I'd rather be suffering through Potions, with Malfoy as my partner than be here in this house!" And with these thoughts, Harry fell into a dreamless sleep.  
  
When Harry woke the next morning, he found his condition hadn't improved at all. Again, he tried to get up off the floor, but found he could only crane his neck and move his arms. "This is bad," thought Harry, "really, really bad."  
  
Harry didn't know what to do, so he didn't do anything. He just laid on the floor, starring at the sky out the window. It was a clear blue day, not a single cloud in the azure abyss.  
  
Suddenly, Harry craned his neck up. "Was that what I thought it was?" Harry had spotted a small brown speck moving across the blue sky. It was progressively getting bigger, and Harry was eventually positive, that it was an owl. He was overjoyed by the mere thought of it, and couldn't wait until it actual arrived. Finally it did, and Harry at once recognized the handwriting on the letter the owl carried. The letter was from his Godfather, Sirius Black.  
  
Harry eagerly opened the letter and read as fast as he could:  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
How are things at the Dursley's? They better be going alright or I'll be over there in seconds ready to rip the limb from limb. I'm staying at Moony's place for the time being, and won't hesitate to leave if you need me. Dumbledore's been giving us various jobs to do during the summer, but you're more important than anything he may want me to do. I want you to know that. Please reply quickly, or I'm going to assume the worst.  
  
Sirius  
  
Harry's heart warmed for his godfather at that moment. He didn't want Sirius to worry or do something stupid. Unfortunately, Harry had no pens or quills nearby, so he couldn't write back a lie telling Sirius that all was fine. Harry didn't really know what to do.  
  
After a few minutes of thinking, Harry decided that all he needed at the moment was some help. Sirius could give him help, so he needed to reply to Sirius. Doing the only thing he could think of, Harry scratched "HELP!" into the parchment with his fingernail, before tying it to the owl and letting it go back out the window.  
  
"It's going to be at least two hours before Sirius gets his letter back, and then who knows how long before he does anything about it," Harry thought. "What am I going to do with myself until then?"  
  
Harry decided to try, yet again to get himself up. He looked around and tried to find a way up. He looked at the chair he had tried the previous night.  
  
"Maybe it'll be sturdier on its side like that," he thought. He pushed himself up on the edge of the seat, and was surprised to see that his back actually left the ground. However, he was even more surprised when his hand slipped off the chair, and his eye made contact with one of the chairs.  
  
Harry gave up yet again. He decided it was best to just lay on the floor and not move. Rather, that's all he really could possibly do. Unfortunately, this meant leaving Harry to his conscience.  
  
Harry immediately replayed the events of the following school year over and over in his head. He left out all the happy things that had happened, and focused on the bad. The time Ron had decided to hate him, the articles Rita Skeeter had done on him, and of course the night after the third task. He kept focusing on how he managed to bring pain to everyone else.  
  
"If it weren't for me, Hermione would never have gotten all that hate mail, nobody would know that Hagrid was a half giant, Cedric Diggory would be alive and happy," Harry thought sadly. "Why doesn't everyone stop protecting me, and let me die already. It's rather obvious that I'm going to die young, so why don't we just get it over with! It would cause everyone a lot less pain and suffering!"  
  
At these thoughts, Harry broke down in tears. He was sobbing despite the pain that it caused. Harry just let it all out while he was stuck there on the floor. All the pain he was in, all the guilt he felt, was all released as Harry lay howling on the floor in his bedroom.  
  
He had no intentions of stopping either, until he heard a loud knock coming from the front door. At the sound, Harry jumped in relief. His reflexes tried to make him sit up, but his pain wouldn't allow it, forcing Harry to roll onto his side in agony. He didn't care though. Sirius was here. Here to help him.  
More to come soon! I promise, although you might just not care. If you hate this story, please say so NICELY, and I'll try to fix it up a bit. Next chapter, Sirius will obviously arrive and we'll see what happens there! 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm going to try this chapter a little bit differently. I really don't know how to transfer this story to fanfic.net without it losing its format, but I'm going to try. I ask that anybody who knows how to do this tells me, 'cause I know it's hard to read the way I had chapter one, as some of you told me in your reviews (  
  
The knocking grew louder, until Harry heard Uncle Vernon yell that he was coming. He heard the door squeak open, a loud gasp, and then the door slammed shut. This was followed by louder knocking, and whispers shared between Vernon and Petunia. Harry could just barely make out what the two were saying.  
  
"It's that murdering godfather of the murderer!"  
  
"Why do you think he's hear Vernon?!"  
  
"That little nuisance probably told him how much we detest the boy. He's here to seek his revenge."  
  
Harry then heard a window shatter, and his godfather's angry voice echoing throughout the house.  
  
"Where's Harry?" Sirius bellowed so loudly the windows in Harry's room rattled.  
  
"Man," thought Harry, "I hope I never make Sirius that mad!"  
  
Harry went back to listening in time to here Vernon shouting back at Sirius, "How dare you come to MY home, break a window, and expect me to tell you anything!" Harry could tell Vernon was trying to sound brave, but he was failing miserably. Even from his bedroom, he could here the quiver in his uncles voice.  
  
"If you hadn't slammed the bloody door in my face I wouldn't have had to break the window, now would I?" Sirius shouted, obviously not the least bit intimidated by the obese man. "Now, I ask you one more time! Where is Harry?"  
  
"The miserable little murderer is upstairs in his bedroom," Vernon replied giving in to his fear. Yet, Harry was surprised that Vernon actually had the audacity to use the nickname in front of Sirius.  
  
Sirius, however, seemed to take no note of the nickname, as he ran upstairs the very moment Harry's location had been disclosed. Harry heard Sirius's footsteps getting louder and louder, he could barely take the anticipation of seeing someone who actually gave a damn about him. The tears that had been Harry's release of pain, had become tears of joy. He was actually sobbing with happiness, knowing that for at least a few minutes he'd be around someone who cared.  
  
Harry heard a closet door in the hall open, and he heard Sirius curse, before finally trying the right door. He heard Sirius gasp as he saw Harry lying there on the floor. Sirius stood shocked for a moment at the door.  
  
"Wow," thought Harry, "I must look worse than I thought."  
  
"Harry! What the hell happened to you? Are you alright?" Sirius said, rushing to his godson's side.  
  
"Hi Sirius," Harry whispered weakly, "I don't think I'm alright. I've been stuck here on the floor since last night. I can only move my arms and my neck. Thank merlin you wrote!" Harry started sobbing again.  
  
Sirius didn't know what to do. When Harry had sent back a letter with the word help carved into it, he really didn't know what to expect. But Harry hurt like this hadn't even seemed to be a possibility.  
  
Sirius had never been the most affectionate guy in the world, and his time spent in Azkaban certainly hadn't helped him with that. However, all Sirius could even think to do at that moment was wrap Harry in his arms. And that's exactly what he did, or at least tried to do.  
  
He tried to pull Harry into a sitting position, so he could hug him, but Harry cried out in pain the moment his shoulders were an inch from the ground.  
  
"Sorry Harry," Sirius whispered, "I didn't mean to hurt you." Sirius really had no idea what to do. "This is really bad Harry, what have they done to you?"  
  
"It's kind of a long story," Harry replied hoarsely through his sobs.  
  
"Well, Harry, we need to get you out of here, and I don't want to risk moving you. Where's your wand?"  
  
"Locked up in the cupboard under the stairs," Harry replied.  
  
"Do you know where the key is?"  
  
"No, they don't want me doing anything dealing with magic, so they don't let me near any of my stuff," Harry was sobbing so hard, Sirius could barely make out what he was saying, but he heard enough.  
  
He was about to get up to go threaten the Dursley's some more, when Harry grabbed his wrist firmly.  
  
"Please, don't leave me," he croaked.  
  
"I'm never going to leave you Harry, you have my word on that. I just have to fetch your wand, so I can safely get you out of this hellhole," he replied fiercely, that temper Harry had caught earlier back in his voice. Harry released Sirius's wrist, and watched him exit the room through his watery eyes.  
  
He heard footsteps through out the house, but heard no voices. "Oh no, the Dursley's must have left! How's Sirius going to get me out of here. He's going to have to leave!" Harry thought frantically.  
  
Sure enough, Sirius returned after searching the house for the Dursley's, with news that the horrid family had fled.  
  
"You-you're not going to leave me are you Sirius?" Harry pleaded in a quivering voice.  
  
"Didn't I just tell you I'd never leave you?" Sirius said kindly, kneeling beside Harry, and ruffling his hair.  
  
Harry flinched at this, as did Sirius. As he pulled back his hand, he found that it had just gotten covered with blood from Harry's head. Sirius looked down at Harry in shock, and watched Harry's lips tremble.  
  
"Last night, Vernon was in a bad mood. He kicked me around a bit, I guess he kicked me harder in the head then I had thought," Harry stated, as if it was normal to be kicked in the head.  
  
"Hold on Harry, I want you to tell me everything that's happened, but first let me send an owl to Moony, okay. He'll be able to help us both. I'm just glad your good for nothing uncle let you keep your owl in here."  
  
Sirius walked over to Harry's desk, stood up the chair Harry had knocked over, and wrote a hurried message to Remus. It said:  
  
Moony,  
  
I just arrived at Harry's, and he's in really bad shape. I need you to apparate here immediately. Be prepared to do some serious healing charms. Harry can't even move. Please hurry!  
  
Sirius  
  
He tied the letter to Hedwig, and before sending it out the window said, "Hurry Hedwig. Fly to Remus as fast as you can! This is probably the most important letter you'll ever have to deliver." With that, Hedwig sped out the window as fast as her wings could carry her. She seemed to really understand the importance of the letter.  
  
Sirius watched her for a few more seconds, and turned his attention back to his godson. It appeared that Harry had fallen asleep. This really worried Sirius, Harry could have a concussion, and sleeping and concussions don't mix. Something every marauder had to learn the hard way during their days at Hogwarts.  
  
Sirius decided he had to wake Harry up, and keep him awake. The best way he could think to do this was to make a lot of noise. He didn't want to risk shaking him, it appeared he was already in enough pain.  
  
"Harry..Harry..C'mon buddy, wake up! Harry, please wake up. HARRY!" Sirius said, progressively getting louder. "HARRY WAKE UP!" This finally woke Harry, but not the way Sirius had planned. By yelling, like he had, he managed to scare the living daylights out of the poor boy. Harry woke with a scream, and his arms flailing all around. One hand punched Sirius rather hard in the stomach.  
  
"OH! Sirius, it's you! You scared me so badly!" Harry breathed in relief.  
  
"I'm so sorry Harry. I didn't mean to scare you but you really had me worried. I need you to stay awake until Moony gets here okay?" Harry nodded weakly, and lifted his head to get a better look at Sirius.  
  
"I missed you Sirius. Thanks for coming."  
  
"No need to thank me Harry. I should have checked in on you much sooner. Why didn't you tell me any of this was going on?"  
  
"I didn't want you to get caught. They're still looking for you, and I don't want to be the reason you're sent back to Azkaban," Harry whispered.  
  
"Harry, you're the main reason I'm out. What would I have to live for if I didn't have you to look out for? I want you to promise me that from this moment on, you tell me everything important that's going on in your life. Will you promise me that?"  
  
"Yeah, I promise," Harry replied meekly, trying to keep his head up.  
  
"You must be so uncomfortable, do you want something to lean your head against?" Harry nodded. Sirius got up and looked around the room. There wasn't a single pillow in the entire bedroom. "They didn't even give you pillow's Harry?" Sirius asked in disbelief. Harry simply shook his head. "I can't believe this Harry," he whispered, sitting cross-legged by Harry's head, and resting it gently against his legs.  
  
"While we wait for Remus, why don't you tell me what's been going on, Harry," Sirius said after a few minutes of silence, afraid that Harry would fall back asleep.  
  
"Okay," Harry replied, letting out a shaky breath, knowing he'd probably start crying again at any second. Yet he relayed his story anyway. He told how each day, the summer got worse and worse. And how he constantly had feelings of overwhelming guilt and fear. He told Sirius everything he could think of, and then just laid in silence with his head resting on his godfathers legs.  
  
Harry had almost fallen asleep again, when a noise from downstairs reached his ears.  
  
"Sirius! Harry! Where are you?" came the familiar voice of Remus Lupin. Harry and Sirius simultaneously released held breaths.  
  
"Up here Moony! Hurry!" Sirius called as quietly as he could, which was rather difficult. Remus heard him though, and quickly ran up the stairs, and just as Sirius had done, froze at the doorway.  
  
"Good God! Harry what happened to you! Sirius, how long has he been like this?" Remus said exasperatedly.  
  
"I don't know for sure how long he's been like this, but he can't move at all. I would have done something, but you know I don't have a wand, and Harry's is locked away. Please do something Moony," Sirius pleaded to his best friend.  
  
"I'll try Padfoot, but there's not that much I can do." Moony said wearily. I think what we'll have to do is conjure a stretcher, and then apparate him to my house. We can send for Madam Pomfrey from there. First, though, I think we should get his stuff. Where is it?"  
  
"Locked away in the cupboard under the stairs."  
  
"Okay, you stay here, I'll go get it all, and then you can use his wand. It'll make it much easier if we can both do magic." With that, he left the room.  
  
"Did you hear that Harry? We're going to get you out of here." Sirius beamed at his godson, who returned it with only a weak grin. Sirius, however, knew that the grin meant much more than it showed.  
  
In no time, Remus was back upstairs. He threw Harry's wand to Sirius, who grabbed it gracefully before gently removing Harry's head from his legs and placing it back on the floor. He stood up as Remus began to levitate Harry a small amount off the ground. Harry began to whimper in fear, but there was no other way they could think to move him, so they carried on with that method. While Harry was in the air, Sirius conjured a stretcher beneath his floating body, and Remus slowly lowered Harry's body onto it. Sirius grabbed hold of the stretcher, and immediately apparated to Remus's house, where he was soon followed by Remus himself, who had grabbed Harry's possessions.  
  
"Lets put him in my room," Sirius said to Remus, who nodded his head, not caring where they put Harry as long as he was safe.  
  
They steered the stretcher into Sirius's bedroom, and then, again levitated him, so they could place him securely in Sirius's bed.  
  
"I'm going to go find some old pajamas for him Padfoot, I'll be right back."  
  
"Okay Moony," Sirius replied, not taking his eyes off his godson.  
  
"You're going to be alright Harry, trust me," Sirius whispered, stroking Harry's clammy cheek. Harry just stared at Sirius with sad eyes. Sirius heard Remus's footsteps die away, and turned to look out the doorway. When he turned back to Harry, he gasped in shock. Harry's eyes were no shut, and he had gone completely limp in the bed. Sirius hurriedly felt for a pulse, but couldn't find one.  
  
"Moony!" he screamed, "MOONY!"  
Hehehehe.if my stories any good, you probably hate me right now. Please review it for me, and tell me what needs to be worked on. Just please don't yell at me, ok? 


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed! I have always had a problem taking compliments, and find myself blushing at almost all of the reviews! I honestly can't believe you guys like it so much, it must seem less interesting to me, because I get stuck now and then, and it takes longer to write than it does to read. Thanks again, I hope you all like this chapter as much as the other two (!  
"Oh my God! Harry's dead! I'm a failure!" Sirius thought in sheer panic. He heard Moony running through the house, but it seemed hours before he arrived.  
  
"What happened Sirius?" Remus inquired huffily, trying to breath straight again.  
  
"Harry's dead Moony, he's dead! He has no pulse, oh God!" Sirius screamed, tears streaming down his face.  
  
Remus immediately pulled his wand from his pocket and pointed it towards Harry's heart. "Recardiate!" he muttered, and watched in fear as Harry's body began to glow with red light.  
  
"What did you do Moony?" Sirius said shakily, starring at the scene with a shocked expression.  
  
"It's a spell Madam Pomfrey taught me a long time ago. It's supposed to get a person's heart beating again after cardiac arrest. I don't know if all that light's supposed to happen," Remus whispered in a frightened voice. The two men looked on as the red light began to flash. It was like there was a fire truck with a siren on in the room, but the room was deadly silent. Suddenly, the light just stopped, and the men ran towards Harry's limp body. Sirius reached for Harry's wrist and breathed a deep sigh of relief. He could feel Harry's pulse, very faint, but it was there.  
  
"You saved him Moony! Thank you so much.Thank you!" Sirius cried, before wrapping his friend in a bone crushing hug.  
  
"Sirius, if you don't hurry up and let go of me, I think you may have to try that spell on me!" Remus choked out, severely short of air. Sirius reluctantly let go of his friend, and the two men stared at each other with tears in their eyes, realizing how close they had come to losing the last bit of James and Lily left in the world.  
  
"Moony, will you go get Madam Pomfrey? I'll try to wake him up," Sirius replied, trying to regain a bit of manliness to the situation.  
  
"Sure Padfoot, I'll be right back," Remus said, wiping his eyes dry, and rushing out of the room.  
  
Sirius sat on the edge of his bed, and brushed his hand over Harry's head, then rested it on the boys scrawny shoulder. "Harry," Sirius called softly. "Harry, time to wake up. Get up Harry!" Sirius was again progressively raising his voice. He didn't need to go much louder though, once he was at a normal volume, Harry's eyelids began to flutter. One green eye popped open, and looked left and then right. Harry shut his eye for a moment, and then opened both. It took him a while to register where he was, and who he was in front of. He gazed around the room for a few moments, and then directed his eyes at Sirius's.  
  
"Sirius?" Harry asked scratchily. "Where am I? Why am I here?"  
  
"You're at Moony's, Harry. Don't you remember what happened today?"  
  
"Well, I remember Vernon beating me last night, and I remember not being able to get up. Then you sent me a letter, but that's all I remember. How'd I end up here?"  
  
"Well, when you sent back 'Help!' as your only reply, I came here as soon as I could." Sirius went on to explain everything that had happened that day. Harry was shocked to here that he had almost died, that he'd actually been dead for a few seconds. "Thank God for Professor Lupin," Harry thought.  
  
"Thank you Sirius. Thank you SO much for getting me out of there. I probably would be dead right now if you hadn't come for me, Sirius," Harry explained to his godfather, tears clouding his emerald eyes.  
  
"No need to thank me Harry," Sirius replied, his own eyes refilling with tears. "If you had died, I don't think I could ever forgive myself." As they couldn't hug, Sirius clamped a supportive hand on one of Harry's shoulder's and rubbed it encouragingly.  
  
A moment later, there was a clatter in the living room, and a shrieking voice yelled, "Where is he?!" This was followed by two footsteps banging down the hallway.  
  
Harry waited apprehensively, completely unsure as to who the shrieking voice could belong to. He soon found out, as the third person of the day, stopped dead in the doorway, shocked at his appearance: Madam Pomfrey had arrived.  
  
"You poor boy! What have those horrid muggles done to you?" Madam Pomfrey whispered, still with a shriek in her voice.  
  
"Later Poppy," Remus said firmly. "Can you fix him up a bit first?"  
  
"Of course Remus," she replied. She quickly transformed from that shocked, confused women, to the professional, strict nurse she usually was. "Stand aside, please Mr. Black."  
  
Sirius moved off the bed, and stood near Remus at the door while Pomfrey leaned over Harry, asking him questions and examining his injured body.  
  
"Do you think he's going to be okay, Moony?" Sirius whispered fearfully in his friends ear.  
  
"I think he'll survive, Sirius, but I really don't know if he'll ever be okay again," Remus whispered back tentatively.  
  
This was clearly not what Sirius had wanted to hear, as his head immediately dropped, so he was looking directly at his feet.  
  
"I'm sorry Padfoot," Remus whispered to his friend, before wrapping him in a comforting hug.  
  
"Me too, Moony. Me too," was his only response. Remus could feel Sirius shaking in fear, and didn't know what to do for his friend. Thus, he just kept hugging him, and gently patting his back. Sirius just stood there. His head leaning against the wall, his arms at his side.  
  
"Its all my fault," Remus heard Sirius mutter. Remus stepped back and held Sirius by the shoulders.  
  
"It's not your fault Padfoot. It's not your fault at all. Understand?" he asked, looking into his friends miserable eyes. "The only person to blame here is that Dursley asshole. He's the one who hurt Harry, not you!"  
  
"Yeah, but I should have known. I'm Harry's godfather, I should have been there for him all along and I wasn't. Do you want to know how else it's my fault? If I hadn't been so stupid as to trust Wormtail, Harry would still live with his parents! And then.then I was stupid enough to go after Wormtail myself. You know, if I hadn't done that, Harry wouldn't have stayed with the Dursley's. I would have been the one to raise him, and he would never know the hate he has felt his WHOLE life at the Dursley's. So don't tell me it's not my fault Moony, it is!"  
  
"No! None of that's your fault, we ALL trusted Peter. It wasn't just you! And no one could have known that this was happening to Harry. Not you, not me, not even Dumbledore! Do you understand me?" he whispered as forcefully as possible without letting Harry notice. He even shook Sirius for emphasis.  
  
Sirius just shook his head, looking as if his entire world had been shattered. "Believe what you want Moony, but I don't believe you. This is ALL my fault, and nothing you can say will make me feel any different," Sirius stated sadly in a monotonous voice. "I'm sorry Moony," Sirius said, breaking down in tears again.  
  
"It's all right, Padfoot. Be strong for Harry okay?" Remus whispered, noticing Harry glancing their way.  
  
"I'll try Rem," Sirius whispered, drying his eyes. "How's he doing Madam Pomfrey?"  
  
"Never in my life have I seen a boy as injured as this. It's a wonder he survived up until this point. I have, however, fixed him up as much as I can. He's still very weak though, so I advise you not to let him move. He shouldn't feel any pain."  
  
"You don't want him to move.but, can he?" Sirius inquired.  
  
"I'm not sure Mr. Black. Only time will tell," the nurse replied gravely. "I'll be back to check on him in a few days. Please be sure he gets plenty of rest, food, and liquids. That's the only way I can see his condition improving. Keep a close eye on him, if he changes at all, notify me immediately. Goodbye to you both, I'll show myself out."  
  
With that, Madam Pomfrey left the room. Sirius and Remus glanced at each other quickly, then sped to Harry's bedside.  
  
"Are you okay, Harry?" they asked simultaneously.  
  
"Yah, I think. At least, I don't hurt anymore. I'm really tired, though."  
  
"Okay, we'll let you sleep Harry," Remus said, grabbing Sirius's arm and trying to pull him from the room.  
  
"No, Moony, I'm not leaving Harry's side. Can you conjure up a cot for me?"  
  
Remus looked sadly at his friend, nodded, and did what was requested.  
  
Remus waved his wand and a cot appeared next to Harry's bed. Piled on top were pillows and blankets. "Keep an eye on him Sirius, but don't out do yourself. I'll make some dinner okay?" Sirius nodded and sat down on the cot, as Remus fled the room.  
  
Sirius dragged the cot closer to Harry's bed, and sat back down. "Don't worry Harry," he soothed, stroking Harry's unruly hair. "I'll never let anyone hurt you again. Never, will someone be able to hurt my godson." Sirius stated matter-of-factly. Harry just nodded, and let his eyes close. He was deeply asleep in a matter of seconds. Sirius kept stroking Harry's head, repeating over and over in his head, "Never again Harry, I'm so sorry. Nobody will hurt you."  
  
How's that??? Better.worse? I thought this chapter was going to be a lot more fun to write, I hope it was fun to read though. Please Review! I'd write some more tonight, but I have to work ( I promise not to let school get in the way of this story.but works just going to have too. I think I'll have more up by Sunday considering work is getting in the way of my social life as well! 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I'm SO sorry this took so long. I never expected it to, but I've had quite the busy two weeks. It's crunch time, as anyone else getting ready for college must know, and I've had no time to work on this story. Also, my new work schedule isn't helping matters much, and Ski Team is starting next week. Hopefully I'll be able to spit out at least a chapter a week. If you have a problem with that too bad, it's the best I can do! However, this being Thanksgiving weekend, and allowing me to have many days off I may be able to do a few more chapters than I normally would. Although, I have my week packed pretty full anyway, I'll try to work around all the stuff I'm doing though, I promise!  
Harry woke up to find a heavy weight upon his chest, and something heavy laying across his knees. He groggily opened his eyes to see what was on him. It was quite bright in the room, so it took a while for Harry's eyes to adjust. When they did, he found quite a surprise. It was Sirius, dead asleep with his head on Harry's stomach, and one arm draped across his legs. Harry was shocked to see the face of his godfather. Although once awake he remembered everything that had happened, but before he had time to think, his mind was set back at the Dursley's. Relief swarmed over him when he again remembered all he had been through the following night. He lay his head against his pillows and shut his eyes, sighing happily.  
  
He was ready to go back to sleep when the door creaked open. At the Dursley's a creaking door was never a good sign, so Harry began to panic. There was no way Harry could have moved even if Sirius hadn't been half laying on top of him, he didn't know what to do. "What if it's a death eater?" Harry thought, and then began to try to wake Sirius up. It was rather pointless really, Sirius was literally dead to the world.  
  
Harry set into defense mode. Even if he couldn't move, he would still be on the alert. The door kept opening at tiny intervals, as though the person behind it was trying to make a soundless entry. That person was failing miserably. Harry was sweating profusely and never took his eyes off the door.  
  
Finally, the door was opened enough for Harry to see a leg wearing khaki pants. "At least it's not death eater robes," Harry thought in relief, but he was still scared. The person behind the door finally got sick of the slow opening, and decided to just whip it open. Harry tensed up, ready to scream if the need arouse. But rather than scream, Harry let out a deep sigh. I was just Professor Lupin. Harry felt pretty stupid, but was so relieved he couldn't hide just how scared he had been.  
  
"Oh Harry, you're up. I was trying to make a quiet entrance, didn't work did it?"  
  
"No Professor, it didn't. You really scared me, you know that?"  
  
"Sorry, didn't mean to. Are you okay Harry?"  
  
"Yeah I'm alright, but he's keeping me a little too warm," Harry said looking down at his godfather with a grin. Remus just laughed.  
  
"Yeah, he refused to leave your side last night. Here, let me get him off you, and then how about a bath? Sorry Harry, but you're beginning to stink," Remus replied jokingly.  
  
Harry blushed but laughed despite his embarrassment. He nodded his head to signify that he wanted to get out of the bed.  
  
"Now, I don't want to wake him up, or he'll probably try to get in the bath with you!" Remus told Harry, as he grabbed his friend around the chest and dragged him off Harry, laying him on the cot and then spreading a wool blanket over him. Sirius didn't even stir once throughout this process, and Harry just looked on in shock, he would have woken up at having the blanket put over him, how could be pried off of someone not wake him up?  
  
Remus caught the look and felt the need to explain. "Sirius has always been the deepest sleeper I know. One time at Hogwarts your father tried waking him up with a trumpet, but failed miserably. The only way to wake him up against his will is to dump ice water on him. I've had to do that before, I don't recommend it!" Harry laughed lightly at the thought of Sirius having a trumpet played in his ear, and not waking up at all. Yet, the laughter didn't last long when Harry thought about taking a bath.  
  
"Professor Lupin?" Harry began, with a grimace on his face.  
  
"Please call me Remus, Harry. If you're going to be living in my house, you're going to have to stop calling me Professor Lupin! I hated that title when I was your teacher, and I hate it more now." He tried to say this in an amusing way, but Harry wasn't smiling. "What's wrong Harry, are you in any pain?"  
  
"No.It's just. Well. how am I supposed to take a bath if I can't even move from this bed?" Harry stuttered, looking at the lump his feet made under the blankets. He had done that since he was young, but usually made his feet wiggle under the blankets. He tried, but nothing he could do would make the feet lump move.  
  
"Don't worry about it Harry," Remus said soothingly. "I'm going to help you out, and when Sirius wakes up, he'll be around to help you too."  
  
Harry, looked up at Remus with a pained expression, and then looked at his feet again. "Harry, what's wrong?"  
  
"I'm really sorry. I don't want to put you out here. I can't believe it's come down to this. The famous Harry Potter can't even take a bath by himself," Harry responded bitterly.  
  
"Harry, it's okay. Everybody has times like this in their lives. I admit yours came a little early, but everyone needs to be taken care of at times. And you're not putting me out. I want to help you, okay?"  
  
Harry nodded that he understood, but still looked ashamed that he needed help bathing.  
  
"I'm going to go get the bath ready, I'll be right back okay?" Remus asked.  
  
Harry nodded and then watched Remus walk out the door.  
  
"What a nuisance I am," thought Harry. "Can't even take a bath by myself. How am I going to go back to Hogwarts? What am I going to do if Voldemort tries to attack me again? I won' t be able to run. How am I ever going to live like a normal person if I can't even sit up?" These were the things that Harry feared the most. Harry had always wanted a normal life, but his ongoing battle with Voldemort put a damper on that. But now, even if Harry could manage to defeat Voldemort, he would never have a normal life.  
  
Harry heard Remus's footsteps drawing near to his room again. Harry again returned to his feelings of shame. His face was red when Remus stepped through the doorway. Remus noticed the color of his cheeks, but decided to ignore it. "Are you ready Harry?" he asked. Harry just nodded in response.  
  
Remus walked over, pushing Sirius's cot out of the way and scooping Harry into his arms. "You need to eat a little better Harry," Remus joked. Harry did not find the amusing and Remus watched as his face went even redder.  
  
"Sorry Harry, you'll be fine. I promise. In no time you'll be back on your feet, playing quidditch, and Ron and Hermione will even come for a visit," Remus said praying it was true.  
  
"Poor Harry," Remus thought. "Like he hasn't been through enough in his life!" He made his way to the bathroom where the water was running in the tub. Carrying Harry was like carrying nothing. He was so incredibly skinny, Remus could feel most of his bones. When they reached the bathroom, Remus sat Harry down on the toilet, the lid down. He gently helped Harry take off his clothes, trying to be sensitive to Harry's obvious discomfort at having somebody else give him a bath.  
  
Remus couldn't help but gasp when Harry's shirt came off. He had deep gashes across his chest and back.  
  
"I'm so sorry Harry," Remus said in shock at the site before him. "I can't believe they did this to you."  
  
Harry turned redder still, if that was possible, and just shook his head, thinking that if he tried to talk he'd probably start to cry.  
  
Once he was completely out of his clothes, Remus lifted up Harry's bony body and placed him gently in the warm water.  
  
"Are your arms strong enough for you to take it from here?" Remus asked, wanting to let Harry be as independent as possible.  
  
Harry looked at him gratefully and nodded.  
  
"Just call if you need anything, okay?" Harry just nodded and watched as Remus left the room. He then let out a sigh so deep that he sounded more like an old man than a fifteen year old. Harry washed himself as fast as he could, and then decided to just relax in the warm water. He shut his eyes and just thought of the possibilities that he had now that he was out of the Dursley's lives for ever.  
  
All of a sudden, a loud yell came from somewhere outside the bathroom. He heard someone running around, and something fall over.  
  
"Moony! Harry's gone! He's gone!" Sirius called in sheer panic.  
  
Harry felt bad that he had Sirius in such a panic over him, but laughed despite himself. He listened as Remus ran to where Sirius was, and tried to hear the conversation between them.  
  
"Harry's fine Padfoot! He's in the bath tub right now! You need to calm down, and can you please pick up the mess you made?"  
  
"Why the hell didn't you tell me you were taking him out of my room? Didn't you think I'd worry?!" Sirius yelled angrily, yet there was relief in his voice.  
  
"Sorry Padfoot, but you know there's no way to wake you up when you're asleep. Just calm down okay?"  
  
"I'll try Moony, but I was so worried. I can't let anything happen to him again. I can't believe what already has happened."  
  
Harry loved that someone cared so much about him, and couldn't wait to see Sirius again. Knowing very well that he couldn't get out of the tub himself, he called for Remus.  
  
Rather than an immediate return, Harry heard Remus and Sirius get into a little fight over who would get Harry out of the tub.  
  
"I had a hard enough time getting him in their without feeling to awkward, I don't think he wants another person to see him like that" Remus stated convincingly. Sirius didn't care."  
  
"So what Moony? I'm his godfather, I need to take care of him. Okay?" Sirius retorted, pleadingly.  
  
"Fine Sirius, but I'm going to warn you. He looks pretty bad. Try not to gawk okay. I think he'd take worse to you doing that than me."  
  
"Do I really look that bad?" Harry thought, and then looked down at his chest. Scars covered his chest in different directions, the skin around them puffy. He could see his individual ribs without sucking in. "I guess so."  
  
Harry stopped examining himself when he heard Sirius approaching the bathroom. Sirius knocked and then said, "Can I come in Harry?"  
  
"Yeah," was Harry's only reply.  
  
Sirius pushed the door open and then stepped into the slightly steamy bathroom. He looked at his 15 year old godson who was sitting in the bathtub. It took all his might not to run over and pull the boy out of the tub and into a huge hug. He figured he would terrify the boy if he had done that. After all Harry didn't know Sirius all that well yet. But Sirius planned to change all that.  
  
"Are you ready to get out Harry?" Sirius asked, trying to recover from the shock of Harry's state. Harry nodded his head, so Sirius grabbed an oversized dry towel off a shelf. He held the towel loosely with two hands, and tucked it under his arms, careful to make sure it didn't get in the water. He then lifted Harry out of the tub, and sat him on the edge. Sirius then wrapped the towel around Harry's small frame. He then got another towel and started to gently dry the mop of hair on Harry's head. Once it was dry, he picked Harry up and cradled him in his arms, then brought him back to his room. As they were making their way back to Sirius's room, Harry began to shiver uncontrollably.  
  
"Are you okay Harry?" Sirius inquired, very worried.  
  
"I'm really cold," Harry chattered, his body shaking violently in Sirius's arms.  
  
"Okay buddy, we're almost to my room, I'll get you warm, don't worry," Sirius soothed as he quickened his pace down the hall. Remus was in Sirius's room when they got there. He had just made Harry's bed.  
  
"Moony, can you pull back those blankets please?" Sirius asked hurriedly. "Harry's cold."  
  
Remus immediately through back the covers of Harry's bed, and Sirius gently placed a still naked Harry on the bed. He took the towel off of Harry and through the blankets over him. "I'm going to find you some pajamas okay Harry? I'll be right back." Sirius walked to the closet and Remus sat down next to Harry, stroking his hair.  
  
Harry listened as Sirius rummaged through the closet, and he relaxed at the comfort of having Remus stroking his hair. "This is what it's like," he thought. "This is what it's like to have people who care."  
  
At this thought, Harry looked down at the floor with a grin on his face. What he saw in the corner wiped the smile right off his face. There was a large, gray rat in the corner of Sirius's bedroom, looking directly at him. Harry gasped, and Remus grabbed his shoulders. "What is it Harry?" Remus asked quickly.  
  
"S-Scabbers.I mean Pettigrew!" Harry said, glancing again at the spot he had seen the rat. Only this time, the corner was empty.  
A/N: If I remember correctly 'pants' in England means underwear..However, 'trousers' just sounds stupid to me so I'm just going to stick with my American vocabulary on this one! This chapter didn't really go where I wanted it to.The whole thing was about Harry taking a bath! Please review though, and hopefully I'll feel inspired to right more this week! 


	5. Chapter 5

Well, another chapter down, I hope you like it. Over my lovely Thanksgiving Holiday I managed to write one college essay, and do a few chapters of my story overall I was quite productive, although I saved 150 pages of Pride and Prejudice for Sunday. But what can you do?  
  
Enjoy the story (  
"What did you just say?" Sirius asked, whipping away from the closet. There was a glint in his eye that terrified Harry.  
  
Harry looked up fearfully, and spoke with his voice quivering, both from cold and fear, "I don't know, I thought I just saw Pettigrew in the corner. Don't worry, I probably just imagined it."  
  
Sirius and Remus both looked at Harry suspiciously. "Are you sure Harry?" Remus asked. "Do you really think it was just your imagination?"  
  
Harry glanced at Sirius who still had that frightening glint in his eye. It reminded Harry of the Sirius he had first met in the Shrieking Shack during his third year. That Sirius had been halfway to crazy, and Harry hoped to never see him like that again.  
  
"Yeah, it was just my imagination. Probably just shadows or something," Harry lied. He was positive that he had seen a rat in the corner of the room, and just as sure that it was none other than Peter Pettigrew in his animagus form.  
  
Sirius seemed satisfied with this answer as he lost the glint in his eyes and turned back to the closet. Remus resumed stroking Harry's head, trying to calm him down, although he still glanced suspiciously at Harry every now and then.  
  
Sirius finally found some pajamas that would (almost) fit Harry. He strode over to the bed, and put them on Harry's shivering body.  
  
Remus stood up and said, "I'm going to go make some breakfast. You two stay here, I'll bring it up."  
  
Sirius turned to Harry and said, "Are you up for a game of chess Harry?"  
  
"Sure," Harry replied. Sirius ran to get a board and pieces and Harry tried to pull himself up into more of a sitting position. He still glanced at the corner occasionally, but eventually convinced himself that he really had just imagined seeing the rat. Sirius and Harry played one game of chess before Remus came back with breakfast. Harry won by a landslide (A/N: I really know nothing about chess, so I'm not going to go into detail here at all (), and then played against Remus. Remus kicked Harry's butt ten times harder than Harry had just kicked Sirius's. They played tournament style for the next few hours until an owl came through Sirius's bedroom window.  
  
The letter was from Professor Dumbledore, and the two men paled when they read it. After they finished, they glanced apprehensively at Harry.  
  
"What's wrong Sirius.Remus?" Harry asked tentatively.  
  
Sirius walked over to Harry's bed and put an arm around him. Remus also walked over and sat by Harry's feet.  
  
"Harry," Sirius began. "There was an attack on your old house this morning. All of the Dursley's have been killed." That's all Sirius would reveal, waiting for a reaction from Harry. Whatever reaction he had been expecting, he didn't get. Harry just shrugged, and started picking up chess pieces from his bed.  
  
"Harry, the last of your relatives are dead, you don't care at all?" Sirius asked incredulously.  
  
"What do you want me to feel?" Harry nearly yelled. "They beat me up, they never loved me! I hated them! I'm not happy that they're dead, but I'm certainly not sad about it! If anyone deserved a good death eater attack it was them!"  
  
Remus and Sirius stared open mouthed at Harry, Remus recovered from shock first, and said, "Surely you don't mean that Harry. I know they hurt you, and you didn't like them, but how can you not care that they're dead?"  
  
"I'm sorry, but I really don't care!" Harry yelled. He was pretty angry now. "I'm just relieved. I'm relieved that I never have to see them again! I'm relieved that you got me out of there before I was attacked too! But I really don't care that they're gone! I just don't." Harry added the last bit quietly.  
  
Again, the men just looked at him shocked. Harry felt slightly embarrassed about his outburst, and looked again at the lump his feet made under the blankets. Again, he willed his feet to move, but alas nothing happened.  
  
"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled, still trying to make those feet move.  
  
"Harry you don't need to be sorry for your feelings. We're just surprised that's all. To tell you the truth, they're lucky they died, this way they escaped the wrath of Sirius. I assure you it would have been a much worse fate." Remus told Harry soothingly. Harry was a very strange boy. He opened up, and then immediately shut back up like a clam. "We need to get Harry to be more open more often, without the closing up part," Remus thought to himself.  
  
"So Harry, I take it you don't want to go to the funeral?" Sirius inquired tentatively, not wanting to make his godson yell again.  
  
Harry shook his head surely. Then said, "Can we just play some more chess?"  
  
"Sure Harry, for a little while, but Dumbledore also said that he's be coming over later today, so we can't play for too much longer, okay bud?" Sirius replied.  
  
Harry nodded and they began to play again.  
Professor Dumbledore arrived around 3:00 in the afternoon. He had important business with Remus and Sirius, but thought it was important to first visit with Harry. Thus his first stop was visiting Harry where he lay like an invalid in Sirius's bed.  
  
"How are you feeling Harry?" he asked when he reached the young boy who had been through so much. Dumbledore always kept this to himself, but he felt very much to blame for the young boys problems.  
  
Harry looked him squarely in the face, without a trace of a smile, and replied stiffly, "I'm fine, thank you."  
  
"Perhaps he blames me for his problems, too," Dumbledore thought grimly.  
  
"Well, Harry..I'm terribly sorry about this whole ordeal. If I'd have known you were being treated that poorly at your aunt and uncles home, I would have found better quarters for you."  
  
"Well it's too late now, isn't it Professor?" Harry replied venomously. "It's too late to take back the damage, right? But at least I still managed to save the wizarding world, so my suffering isn't important. Isn't that right?"  
  
Dumbledore looked down at Harry thoroughly shocked by this outburst. "I truly am sorry, Harry." he began calmly, attempting to soothe the boy. "It is important that you saved the wizarding world, yes, but your happiness is just as important as that! No I'm terribly sorry for all that I have put you through, but you're right. What's done is done and there is nothing I can do about it except apologize. Will you take my apology Mr. Potter?"  
  
Harry watched his professor for a few minutes, considering what he had just said, he was satisfied, but wanted to see if he could get anymore out of him.  
  
Harry's silence did in fact, persuade Dumbledore to carry on, "Harry, there's nothing I can do about the past, but the future I can help you with. I'm already in the works to put up wards around this house so you can safely stay here. You will for as long as you like have a home where there are people who love you. That's the best I can do for you my dear boy, and I swear to you I will keep my word on that." Dumbledore didn't know why he wanted Harry's trust back so much, but that was all that mattered to him at that moment.  
  
Again, Harry just stared at his Headmaster for a moment, this time do to awe at the power of his words. Just the way he spoke about the future, made Harry certain that everything would come around for the best. Harry nodded and said, "Okay, Headmaster. I'm really sorry." Harry again turned a little sheepish at his outburst.  
  
"No need to be sorry my boy. It's good to get your feelings out once in a while. I just hope I'm not on the receiving end of that one again anytime soon. Now is there anything new with you Harry?"  
  
"Nothing you don't already know, Professor. We just played chess all day," Harry replied, although the thought of seeing Wormtail in the corner had again flashed into his memory, he didn't want the headmaster to think he had gone insane when he became an invalid.  
  
"Well that's good to hear Harry, now if you don't mind I'm going to need to steal Sirius and Remus from you," Dumbledore replied. Harry just nodded, and leaned back in to his pillows. Remus looked at him with worried eyes. Sirius walked over to him, pulled his blanket up to his chin, and then ruffled Harry's hair.  
  
"Just call if you need anything, okay?" he said lovingly. Harry smiled at the tone of Sirius's voice and nodded his head. He watched as the men exited Sirius's room, and then he sighed.  
  
Seeing as Harry couldn't move, he ended up just laying in bed thinking. "I guess I can't really blame Dumbledore for sending me to live with the Dursley's. I mean, he couldn't take care of me, he was far too busy. And I really had no one else before I came to Hogwarts. As far as I know, all of my parents friends were dead or in Azkaban, poor Sirius. But.what about Remus? He wasn't hurt or in prison! He could have taken me in and he didn't. And now he decides to play hero and be my best friend! I don't think so!" Harry was fuming in the bed now, how could he have never thought of this before? While the men were talking, Harry sat growing more and more angry with Remus by the minute. He kept replaying all the kind things Remus had don't for him, and now thought that they meant nothing.  
Meanwhile, the men were in Remus's kitchen, as far from Harry as they could get, so that he couldn't overhear.  
  
"I'm really worried about him," Remus said cynically. "He's getting angry a lot, I'm afraid that that temper of his is soon going to overflow. It seems like he's looking for someone to blame for all that's happened to him. I have a feeling I'm going to be next."  
  
Sirius nodded in agreement, "I can't believe he blew up at you of all people Dumbledore! He's really got some pent up anger in there. I'm glad he's getting it out though. Remember what happened when James held his anger too long?"  
  
"Of course I do, Padfoot, I was on the receiving end of that. How was I supposed to know he liked Lily, if he had told me maybe I wouldn't have gone out with her in the first place. But yeah, I thought he was going to kill me after that ball when I cut into his dance with her."  
  
"Yeah well consider yourself lucky. I had to listen to him rant and rave every night after he saw you two kissing or cuddling in the common room. Yeah, he was some angry with you, but he remained loyal. He still saved Snape from you, and you know as well as I do he didn't do it for Snape. He did that for you."  
  
Remus nodded, "I just hope Harry will stay loyal too."  
  
"Yes, yes," Dumbledore said trying to wrap up that conversation. "I can't stay that long, and we need to talk about the boy's well being." He watched the men making sure he got their full attention back. "Voldemort is still a great threat to him, and I'm sure Mr. Pettigrew is out there still, skulking around him. It is obvious that they're after Harry, as his house was just attacked. We're quite lucky you two got him out in time. Now, I have a plan for wards around this house. I'm going to have to make them stronger than they were at the Dursley's because that obviously didn't work. Listen closely, because I only want to tell you all of this once, are you ready?"  
  
"Yes sir," they both replied, listening raptly.  
  
"Okay, first there will be no apparating or disapparating around this house for a radius of 5 miles. I know this will make things a little difficult for travel, but I think it's a necessary precaution. Second, your floo entrance will be voice activated. Anyone other than you two and Harry will not be admitted. This does not mean you won't be able to have visitors. It shall work rather like a muggle answering service. Somebody who wants to enter simply must say the name of your home, and then they'll be asked to tell who they are. It is your job to judge who may and may not come in. Do you understand so far?"  
  
Both Sirius and Remus nodded.  
  
"Also, around the circumference of this house is a dark mark repeller. Anyone with the dark mark anywhere on his or her body can't just walk through. However, if you let them through the fire place nothing will happen to them. So I repeat, use caution with whom you let in. When possible, go to someone, rather than having them come to you. That's the important business, I also have some high tech wards that I don't want to confuse you with. They're basically there so the others don't get shutdown. Now, I must be off. I'll be in contact with you soon, and I believe Madam Pomfrey will be over to check on Harry in a few days. And I ask you, to try to get the boy to open up. Even if it hurts you, just listen and try to be understanding of him. He really needs it."  
  
"Will do, Dumbledore," Sirius replied. "Goodbye."  
  
"Bye," Remus added.  
  
"Farewell," Dumbledore said before walking to the fireplace and flooing out.  
  
"I'm going to go check on Harry, Moony. I'll be back down in a few."  
  
"Okay Sirius, I think I'm going to start on dinner. Spaghetti sound okay to you?"  
  
"Yeah, sounds great..with garlic bread?"  
  
Remus laughed and then replied, "But of course."  
  
Sirius left the room and climbed the stairs, he peered in before entering and was shocked at what he saw. Harry was laying in bed propped up on pillows. The only way to describe his expression was "Pissed." His arms were crossed defiantly over his chest, and his fists and teeth were clenched. His face was a deep red, and his green eyes had gone from a bright emerald, to a deep forest green. Harry was slowly shaking his head, and his hair was ten times more messy than usual.  
  
Sirius stepped in the room to see what was wrong and said, "Harry, what's up? You look kind of upset."  
  
Harry looked up startled, with a glare in his eyes. Realizing it was Sirius he softened his expression a bit, but he still looked really angry. "It's nothing Sirius. I don't feel like talking."  
  
"Are you sick or something Harry?"  
  
"No, I'm fine. I just want to be left alone," Harry replied, annoyance evident in his voice.  
  
"Okay Harry, calm down. I'll leave you alone if that what you want. Do you want me to get you something to do? A book or something maybe?"  
  
Harry just shook his head and glared at his feet.  
  
"Okay, well Sirius is making spaghetti for dinner. Garlic bread too! We'll eat up here with you okay?"  
  
"NO!" Harry bellowed immediately. "I don't want to eat with HIM!"  
  
Sirius looked startled for a moment, but soon realized what was going on. He walked over and sat on the edge of Harry's bed and put a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"So I guess you're angry with Remus, huh?" Sirius replied, looking Harry square in the face.  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"May I ask why?" Sirius asked, although he was quite sure what the answer was.  
  
"I really don't want to talk about it Sirius." Harry replied looking at his feet.  
  
"Well I do."  
  
Harry just looked defiantly at Sirius. Sirius stared back with the same look in his eyes.  
  
"Come on Harry, I'm not going to get mad or anything. Talk to me!"  
  
Harry stared back a few moments longer and then sighed in resignation. "It's his fault I was stuck at the Dursley's all that time. He could have taken me in after my parent died, but he didn't, he just left me to suffer with them, and wouldn't have even checked up on me if he hadn't taught me during third year. He doesn't care about me at all! I don't want to be around him!" Harry got rather winded as he was saying this and shut up like a clam when he was done. He no longer looked angry, but looked rather like he was going to cry. He wasn't just mad that Remus hadn't taken him in, he was hurt.  
  
"Remus was right," Sirius thought. "Harry is one of those people who just shouldn't be left alone with his thoughts. He gets far too carried away with them."  
  
"Harry, you can't blame Remus. Can you imagine what he was going through after that? Can you? All of his friends, with the exception of me, were supposedly dead, and I was in jail. He thought I had done it! Unless I'm much mistake, Remus was too afraid to let anyone else get near him, afraid they'd be torn away like everyone else in his life. He didn't want to risk losing you too. He probably thought you were in danger being around him. Not to mention what happens to him once a month! Please don't stay mad at Moony, Harry. I KNOW he was just trying to do what he thought was right."  
  
"I can't help but be mad Sirius. I spent fifteen miserable years with the Dursley's, and what was he doing?" Harry said, his voice cracking from trying to hold back tears. He really didn't want Sirius to know how upset he was about Remus not taking him in.  
  
"Calm down Harry, have you even brought this up with Remus? You should really try talking to him before you decide you hate him, okay?" Sirius said soothingly, putting an arm around him.  
  
Harry nodded, and then took a very deep breath, and let it out slowly. "You going to be okay?"  
  
Again Harry nodded. "Do you want me to go get him now?"  
  
No nod this time, but a shrug. Harry didn't want Sirius to think the matter was urgent, but he really did want to talk to Remus as soon as possible.  
  
"I'll go get him then, Harry," Sirius said. He was about to get up, but then looked at Harry once more. He was looking positively miserable at that moment. "It's okay Harry, cheer up."  
  
"I can't," Harry replied sorrowfully, before breaking down into tears.  
  
Sirius pulled Harry into a tight embrace and tried to soothe him, "Shhh.It's okay Harry, it's going to be okay. Don't worry about it okay?"  
  
Harry nodded, but he was still shaking with sobs, so Sirius hugged him for a while longer. Once he had calmed down a bit, Sirius got up, "I'll go get Moony, okay?" Harry nodded wiping his eyes dry. I'll make sure it's a few minutes so your eyes can de-puff a little."  
  
Harry smiled meekly, and watched as Sirius walked out the door.  
  
"Okay," he thought, "I'm about to find out the real reason I was forced to live with the Dursley's. I hope he has a good reason, I really like Lupin, and would prefer if I could keep it that way.  
After leaving Harry's room Sirius ran downstairs to the kitchen to see Remus pouring spaghetti into a pot. "Moony, you were right. Harry's very upset with you."  
  
"How upset Padfoot?" Remus asked turning towards his friend with a sigh.  
  
"Well, first he just looked ripped, but I think he's more hurt than angry that you never took him in before. I guess he thinks you don't really care about him. I'm kind of curious too though, why didn't you take him in after James and Lily died?"  
  
"I don't know Padfoot, I really don't know. I guess it was a lot of things. Everyone around me died, including my entire family, I guess I wasn't ready to start another bond with someone. I felt like I couldn't trust anyone, because of what happened with you, and I didn't want to risk losing yet another person I cared about. I just couldn't do it Padfoot!" Remus was now as close to tears as Harry had just been. Yet he was better at holding it in.  
  
"I'm so sorry Moony! It's my fault really, if I hadn't gone after Peter, you still would have had someone to turn to," Sirius replied dejectedly. Sirius's biggest regret in life wasn't switching secret keepers, it was deciding to go after Wormtail. He regretted both, but going after the rat caused more problems than the secret keeper switch had.  
  
"It's not your fault at all Padfoot," Remus responded, "It was my choice not to take in Harry, and I'm going to have to deal with it." Sirius nodded grimly.  
  
"What if he stays mad at me though Padfoot? I know I should have helped him out, but I didn't and there's nothing I can do about it now!"  
  
"Just go try Moony, he's waiting up in my room to talk to you, just give it a try, and if he's still mad you'll just have to try again. Now I'll finish this spaghetti shall I?"  
  
Remus nodded, and then headed up the stairs.  
  
Ten minutes later, Sirius looked up from the sauce he was stirring to see Remus sitting at the foot of the stairs, his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking with sobs. He put down the spoon and walked over to his friend. Remus looked up when he Sirius stood in front of him. He just shook his head.  
  
Sirius knelt down and wrapped his arms around his friend, "It'll be okay Moony, you'll see. I promise, Harry will forgive you, don't worry."  
  
Remus pulled away and looked at his best friend through teary eyes, he shook his head and choked out, "I don't think he will Padfoot, I really don't."  
  
He sobbed harder then, and Sirius again pulled him into a tighter hug. "So much for the garlic bread," Remus thought bitterly.  
Did you like it? Please tell me by reviewing, long reviews are preferable. I like the nice ones I'm getting, but you're not helping me improve tell me what's good and what's bad cuz I really need to know! Next Chapter will hopefully be out by next Sunday! By the way, I will show what happened between Harry and Remus, if you care to know, I just thought this chapter had gotten a bit to long, and that just would have put this into the 20 page range which I just didn't want to do! 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Another one down. I considered a lot of what you guys said, and wrote this chapter accordingly. Don't expect me to do this every time, but I thought my reviewers deserved some loving!  
Katie: I was thinking the same thing about Remus not being allowed to take Harry in, but it's been done so many times before, I wanted to try something different, although it will play a small part in the story line, so it's not completely ignored. My plan was to put in some kind of deep secret of Remus's being the cause of him not wanting to take in Harry, but I couldn't think of anything. I kind of just wanted to get it over with.And I think you're kind of reading my mind about the punching bag thing.I have a friend who boxes and I was thinking about throwing some of that in there, but seeing as he's paralyzed at the moment, it'll be a while before that happens, IF it happens. Thanks for the constructive review though (  
Kaze: Why is Harry so angry? Well, I've decided that Harry's been through way too much over his years. In book four I was like "Thank God, this kid actually does have some feelings" after all he had been through, he only cried ONCE after the third task. I decided that although JKR will probably never show it, he's probably holding a lot inside, and now after getting out of the Dursley situation I want him to kind of burst, eventually he's going to calm down a bit, but I mean he's paralyzed now so it's a logical time for him to get his feelings out. And remember, he's not just angry, he's also hurt. And we will be having an appearance of Ron and Hermione, but they're not going to be huge in this story for a while. To be completely honest I don't like writing about them.  
  
Kayla: Sirius is my favorite too, but Remus is a close second.  
  
Kimmy: I'm glad you like my story, I try to leave cliffs at the end to keep people wanting more, and so they don't forget what's already happened. That happens to me a lot when I read fics, I want it to be easy to get back into.  
  
Japangirlcmw: THANKS!!! I think you're my first fan ever, and I appreciate it very much! I wish you could tell my English teacher what you told me! My mom is the only other person who seems to really like the way I string my words together, I guess I kind of insert my bits of my weird humor in what I write, and I like clichés, which is definitely not okay in essays (. She's never read any of my HP stuff, but she pretty much says the same as you about the other things I write.  
  
Padfoot: Yep, Harry's paralyzed, permanent or not will come up soon! I actually got that idea because my uncles father fell when he was hunting and was paralyzed, kind of a sad idea, but it worked right? Anyway, I may just let his progress determine some of the progress of this story.  
FairyTale: I'm a die hard Sirius rescues Harry fan too, but I must say that you're stories are far better than mine! I actually got the idea from yours, and a few others. The first Sirius rescues Harry story I read was the Last Marauder, I highly recommend it to all! Anyway, you'll see where I was going with the ministry thing, and I really think that if he had tried hard enough the ministry would have allowed him to take Harry in. And about the Dumbledore thing, I didn't explain it well at all, but I wanted Harry to have a lot more respect for Dumbledore than he does for Remus, Dumbledore being the headmaster and all, and I think that Dumbledore acted (and explained) better than Remus. And about the grammar, no matter how much I re-read my story, I don't seem to catch half of the mistakes! Thanks for the long review btw, I love those!  
AmyPotter13, Mo, Ms. Issues (I know I'm mean), Gabriella (Gross about the cleaning Harry thing), and all who reviewed before chapter three: Thanks for the reviews, I'm glad you all like it and that I haven't gotten any mean reviews!  
If anybody knows why I can't make multiple periods, please tell me, it's a device I use quite frequently and it ends up showing just one, and that tends to look kind of weird!  
Harry lay in his bed, thinking about what he had just done. He couldn't believe what he had just put Remus through. When he had left he definitely had tears in his eyes, he looked like he was going to go kill himself. Harry felt bad about what he had just done to Remus, but he really was upset about Remus leaving him with the Dursley's, and he really didn't have a very good excuse at all. Harry replayed the events in his head:  
  
There was a knock on the door frame and Harry looked up to see Remus standing timidly in front of it. Harry just stared at him. Remus stepped towards Harry's bed and just stood there looking down at Harry.  
  
"So, Sirius says you're a little upset with me," Remus started. Harry sent a glare his way in return.  
  
"Would you care to tell me why?" he asked.  
  
"Why do you care?" Harry asked defiantly. He wanted to just come right out and say it, but felt that Remus didn't deserve that.  
  
"Harry, of course I care!"  
  
"Well you didn't seem to care too much after my parents died, did you?"  
  
"Harry," he began calmly, of course he knew what this conversation was going to be about, but actually having it was different than he had expected. "I'm really sorry I didn't have helped you out then . . . I-I just couldn't do it!" Remus said desperately. He could do it in his head, but he just couldn't get out what he wanted to say.  
  
"And why couldn't you? And why can you now all of a sudden, huh? I'd really like to know!"  
  
"Harry, I had just lost everyone I had ever cared about. I thought that everyone around me, everyone I ever touched would die! I didn't want to lose you too!"  
  
"So rather, you left me to rot at the Dursley's, never once bothering to check up on me. Tell me, would you have even bothered to see me if you hadn't been my teacher? If Sirius hadn't escaped Azkaban?"  
  
"Harry, there was no way I could have checked up on you during those years! Dumbledore had arranged it so that no wizard could get into that house! How was I supposed to see you?"  
  
"You could have found away! You probably didn't even try," Harry said, his voice cracking like it had earlier with Sirius, Harry was not going to let himself cry this time. He was going to act tough, and hope like hell that Remus could convince him that he was cared for all those years that he suffered at the Dursley's.  
  
"Harry, please, I'm sorry! What do you want me to do?" Remus yelled, his voice cracking too. He felt so helpless. He couldn't think of anything to say, which convinced him that Harry had every right to be so mad at him.  
  
"There's nothing you can do Remus. You should have acted a long time ago, but you didn't! Now please leave!"  
  
"Harry." Remus tried, his eyes filling with tears, feeling so helpless.  
  
"NO! Please LEAVE!"  
  
Harry watched as he walked out the door. "Why couldn't he have just thought of a good reason?" Harry thought bitterly.  
  
While Harry was thinking through what he had said, he realized he could no longer stay here at Remus's house.but what could he do? Maybe he could go stay with Ron, he probably wouldn't mind too much. But yet, Harry was such an imposition at the time. Harry's mind was in a jumble, so he did the only thing he could think to do, he took a nap.  
  
"It was that bad, huh Remus?" Sirius asked quietly after Remus had calmed down a bit.  
  
Remus nodded his head, and started wiping his eyes dry. "Yeah, Sirius, it was pretty bad. And you know what makes it worse, I could have solved the whole thing by telling Harry that the ministry wouldn't allow me to take him in. I mean, they probably wouldn't have! I'm such an idiot!" Remus looked ready to fall apart again.  
  
"Shhh, shhh, Moony it's going to be okay, calm down all right?" Remus nodded his head, so Sirius continued, "Lying wouldn't have done any good. For all we know Harry would have stormed the ministry if you told him that. Honesty's the best policy, right?" Sirius joked.  
  
"Right Padfoot," Remus whispered, smiling slightly. I'm giving up on dinner alright? I think I'm just going to go to be really early tonight,"  
  
"'K Moony," Sirius replied, watching his friend climb the stairs. "I was right," Sirius thought, "No garlic bread." Nobody made garlic bread quite like Remus.  
  
Sirius threw some of the done spaghetti into some bowls, and topped them off with sauce. He poured a few glasses of milk and put everything on a tray, heading up stairs. He walked right into his room to find Harry sound asleep. He placed the tray on the bedside table, and sat on the edge of the bed. Gently, he shook Harry awake.  
  
Harry shuddered, at being shaken, but didn't immediately wake up. Slowly, one of his eyelids began to flutter, soon followed by the other. Then Harry's green eyes were staring up into Sirius's dark ones. "Morning Harry! How about some breakfast?" Sirius said cheerily, waving the pasta in front of Harry's nose.  
  
"Very funny Sirius. What time is it?" Harry replied groggily.  
  
"It's about 6:30, you haven't been sleeping that long. So. . . things didn't go so well with Remus?"  
  
Harry did the feet thing again, "He just didn't have a good reason. But, Sirius, I can't stay here. I'm so mad at him, and he's not doing a very good job convincing me not too be angry, I just can't stay in his house! I don't know what to do."  
  
"Well, first take your spaghetti, Remus wasn't up to making garlic bread, so we just have the noodles," Sirius said, looking pointedly at Harry. Harry looked down, so Sirius continued, "Harry, there's no where else for you to go. I'd get my own house to make you feel better, but I'm still on the run from the ministry. And, for your safety, we can't very well move you from one house to the next, it just won't work. You and Remus are just going to have to work through this. Listen Harry, maybe Remus didn't use his head like he should have all those years ago, but he was grieving. The loss of Lily and all the other marauders really hit him hard."  
  
Harry looked sadly at his godfather, "But, wouldn't I have been a comfort, the only remains of all that he once had?" Harry asked with pleading eyes. He really did want everything to be alright, like Sirius, but he just couldn't get past the feelings of neglect he felt. It was one thing for Dumbledore to let Dumbledore off. He was a busy man, not that involved with his parents lives. His job was to protect Harry at school, not at home. But Remus was his parents friend, he let Harry go to a home where he suffered greatly.  
  
"You know, Harry, the ministry probably wouldn't have even let him take care of you."  
  
"Then why didn't he just say that then?!" Harry yelled, he was completely ignoring his spaghetti.  
  
"Shhh, Harry, I don't know, but what's done is done. There's no way he can take it back, and you won't just take his apology. He's kind of trapped at the moment. Would you rather he just made something up and told you that?" Sirius asked calmly.  
  
"Sirius, I don't know! All I know is that I'm really, really. . . Mad! I can't help it."  
  
"Okay, Harry, but. . . well, can you at least try to be nice to Remus, try to get over the anger?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess I can try, can you get him now actually?" Harry asked timidly.  
  
Sirius stared at Harry for a moment, "You're not going to make him cry again are you?"  
  
"I'll try not to, I swear, but I might just not be able to help crying myself. And, can you get rid of this?" Harry asked, holding up his untouched plate of spaghetti. "I'm really not hungry."  
  
Sirius feigned a hurt expression, "But I made that especially for you! ---Oh well! I'll go get Moony for ya, but I'm not guaranteeing anything. He was pretty upset after the two of you talked." With that, Sirius swept out the door.  
  
"I'm just messenger boy today," Sirius thought to himself, not that he minded.  
  
He dropped Harry's plate in the kitchen and then headed up to Remus's room. The door was shut, so Sirius knocked gently.  
  
"Moony, buddy, its me, you up?" When he got no reply, he opened the door a crack and peered in. Remus was lying awake in bed, staring at the ceiling.  
  
"Moony, I'm coming in okay?" Remus didn't say yes, but he didn't say no either. He made no sign that he even had heard Sirius at all. Sirius walked in slowly, and walked up to Remus's bed. Remus looked almost catatonic, and that scared Sirius a lot. He placed a hand on his friends shoulder and shook him, asking, "Moony, are you okay?"  
  
Remus snapped out of the strange trance he had been in. "Sirius! You scared the Hell out of me!"  
  
"You scared me too! You were really freaky there you know? Anyway, Harry wants to talk to you again. He's still upset with you, but I think he's ready to call a truce. Either way, I made him promise not to make you cry again. You want to go see him, or wait until tomorrow?"  
  
"I'll go now, I don't want to risk him getting even angrier with me," Remus replied, it was obvious that he was still quite upset about his earlier encounter with Harry. He appeared to be a little apprehensive about another confrontation, but he got up and started for the door anyway.  
  
"Do you want me to go with you Moony?" Sirius asked, seeing the worried expression on his friends face.  
  
Remus shook his head, and Sirius replied, "Okay, I'll go downstairs and watch that tellybox thing. Maybe I'll be able to turn it on myself this time," he said hopefully. He headed out of the room, followed be Remus in his pajamas. They departed at the stairs with a "good luck" from Sirius.  
  
Remus took a deep breath a few feet from Harry's door, and then stepped in. Harry was staring at his feet again, but looked up when he heard Remus enter.  
  
Remus decided it was best to say nothing until he had to, so he just stood there for a moment looking at Harry, who appeared to be gathering his thoughts. He suddenly looked right at Remus's face, and stared for a few moments.  
  
"I'm really upset that you never seemed to care about what happened to me. I'll probably be upset for a long time, and there's nothing anybody can really do about that. I'm sorry about earlier, but I just couldn't help it. I was kind of feeling the way you were, I couldn't get out what I wanted to say. Anyway, you had your reasons for not taking me in and allowing me to live with the Dursley's, and I'm just going to have to accept it."  
  
Remus sent Harry a very relieved look. "Harry, I'm so sorry. When your parents died, I just didn't know what to do about anything, and I didn't think it would be fair to you to bring you into my hectic life. Dumbledore seemed to think that the Dursley's house was a good place for you. He's already admitted he was wrong, but I had trusted him with that decision. I'm so sorry it didn't work. I thought I was doing what was best."  
  
"Why couldn't you have just said that earlier?" Harry asked in awe. That was exactly the answer he had been looking for during their earlier discussion. "That's all I needed to hear."  
  
There was silence between the two, Remus had tears of relief in his eyes, as did Harry. "So, does this mean I'm forgiven?"  
  
Harry simply nodded, and Remus stepped closer to him.  
  
"Thanks, Harry," Remus said, stepping closer still. He sat at the edge of Harry's bed, and scooped him into a tight hug.  
  
"I think I have something in my eye, Remus," Harry stuttered.  
  
Remus hugged Harry closer and said, "I think I have something in my eye too, Harry." They both laughed off their tears, and pulled apart.  
  
"Can you promise me one thing Remus?"  
  
"What Harry?"  
  
"Promise you'll never let me live like that again?"  
  
"Harry, I swear by my wand that I will never let what has happened to you happen again. I promise you'll always have a home where you are loved by everyone."  
  
Harry stiffened at this, did Remus just sort of say he loved him? Nobody had ever told Harry that they loved him before. "Are you saying that you love me?" Harry asked cautiously, his green eyes sparkling with tears.  
  
"Yeah Harry, I did. I've loved you since you were a little baby, and I never stopped, despite what you think. And again, I'm so terribly sorry."  
  
"I'm over that Remus, and---I love you too." Harry muttered, he had never said that to anyone before. "And---I'm the one who should be sorry, I really had no reason to get so angry with you. Thanks for not hating me for it."  
  
"Harry, I think you had every right to be mad at me, I should have tried to have you live with me, but I didn't. Let's just forget all that okay. We can't fix your past, but Sirius and I will try hard to make your future much better. Lets go keep Sirius company, I bet you want to get out of that bed. Sirius is watching the television downstairs."  
  
"You have a television?! Awesome," Harry said, perking up a lot.  
  
Remus laughed, "Yeah, you really have to give those muggles credit, they came up with some spectacular things, like those Bic pens---amazing!"  
  
"Well," said Harry, "I would love to get out of this bed and watch the television, are you going to carry me down?"  
  
Remus nodded, and stood up, then scooped Harry easily into his arms. "You really should eat more, Harry," Remus said for the second time. He took a few steps towards the door until he stepped on something rather furry.  
  
"What the hell?" Remus said, shocked. He looked around Harry's body, and down, "Oh my word!"  
A/N: He's BAAAAAAAAACK! How was that? As long as I can get on the computer at least once a day for a little while, I should be able to get another chapter out by Thursday night! Please review, and if I get enough I'll write you all personal messages---I really like doing that. 


	7. Chapter 7

A/N never jump to conclusions in your reviews . . . I have no direction for this story, I don't know who's going to die yet, or when or how Voldemort will attack. And if a review shows me as predictable then I'll just change it so you're prediction is wrong . . .So it's really quite helpful when you do that : )  
Remus kept his foot down on the furry thing under his foot, not wanting the rat to escape. "Is that Wormtail?" Remus wondered aloud.  
  
Harry arched his head around so he could get a good look at Remus's foot, and drew in a deep breath, "I think so Remus, and I don' t know if anyone told you, but when he helped resurrect Voldemort, he was given a silver hand. . . Aren't werewolves allergic to silver or something?"  
  
"Shit!" Remus cursed, slightly surprising Harry, but the situation was too dire for him to really think about it. "I can't just let him go though, SIRIUS! SIRIUS GET UP HERE I REALLY NEED YOU!"  
  
Downstairs Sirius had managed to turn the television on, but it was muted, and he couldn't figure out how to get the sound on. "Oh great," he thought, "Harry made Remus cry again." He climbed the stairs quickly anyway. When he reached his room, he was shocked at what he saw. Neither of the guys was crying, rather, Remus was cradling Harry, and was standing on something gray,  
  
"What the hell?" Sirius asked in bewilderment, staring at the odd pair Remus and Harry were.  
  
"Sirius, you git! Wormtail is under my foot. . . and he has a SILVER hand, or paw! I can't just let him go! Grab my wand out of my pocket, and stun the bastard!"  
  
"You're telling me that the gray thing you're standing on is Wormtail. . . very funny. I can't believe you would joke about that," Sirius said with a hurt expression. He honestly just thought it was a sock or something. After all, from his view he could only see the side of the rat, no tail, face or legs.  
  
"Sirius, he's telling the truth!" Harry cried from his perch in Remus's arms. "Get him!"  
  
Harry felt Remus's arms start to slip around him, and his arms were getting tense. It was obvious that it took more and more effort for Remus to hold. "The silver," Harry thought, "It's making him weak.'  
  
"Sirius! He's going to drop me, the silver of Pettigrew's hand is hurting him, get Pettigrew!" Harry yelled. Sirius also had noticed the sick look taking over Remus's face, and hurried over to the fuzzy gray thing. He gripped it strongly, and then gently lifted up Remus's foot. Remus gave a relieve sigh as he saw the rat held in the air by it's tail.  
  
The relief sank away again, when he saw the look in Sirius' eyes. Just like when Harry had first claimed to see Pettigrew in the corner, Sirius had the mad glint in his eye that Remus hadn't seen since the Shrieking Shack incident. He held the unconscious rat at eye level, glaring at it with a look that could kill. There was silence for a few moments, while Harry and Remus just stared at Sirius with awe.  
  
Harry was first to break the silence, "Is he. . . dead?"  
  
Remus, still feeling weak walked Harry back to his bed and set him down, saying, "No, when an animagi dies, it is returned to it's human form. My foot just knocked him out a little." He turned to Sirius, "Are you okay Padfoot?" Sirius was still glaring at the rat dangling in front of him. He acted as though he didn't hear Remus at all.  
  
Remus decided that talking to Sirius wouldn't do the trick. He had to get Sirius to let go of the rat. He walked over to Sirius's closet and dug around for a few minutes, before coming out with a large glass jar. He walked over to Sirius, and held the jar directly under the rat. When Sirius didn't drop the rat in, Remus brought the jar up so that the rat was in the jar, but was still held by Sirius.  
  
"Drop the rat Sirius. Don't worry, we won't let him escape this time. We all want a piece of Wormtail, but it's going to have to wait! Now drop the rat into the jar." Sirius didn't move, he just continued to stare menacingly at the rat. He was really starting to scare Remus. He had known that Sirius had a bit of an obsession with Wormtail. After all, it was what kept him sane during his thirteen years at Azkaban. Remus decided he was going to have to force the rat out of Sirius's hand. This was quite a task as he was still feeling ill from the silver he had come in contact with. He held the jar in place with one hand and tried to pry Sirius's hand open with the other. This finally brought Sirius out of his reverie, which was not a good thing at all. Sirius used the hand that wasn't holding the rat and punched Remus in the stomach, sending him clear across the room. Harry gasped from the bed, shocked to see this display from Sirius. Remus moaned in the corner, and tried to get up. Sirius finally snapped out of his trance completely when he saw his best friend on the floor, holding his stomach in agony. Still holding the rat, he rushed over to his friend. "Moony! I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me. I'm so sorry!"  
  
Remus grabbed the jar off the floor where it had fallen after the punch. "Give me the rat Sirius," he said calmly. Sirius obediently dropped the rat in the jar.  
  
"I'm really sorry Moony, I didn't. . . I didn't mean to," Sirius pleaded for forgiveness.  
  
Remus tried to sit up, so Sirius grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet. "It's okay Padfoot, I know how you are about Pettigrew, I completely understand. Now, I have to put a few spells on this jar so Pettigrew can't break it when he wakes up. . ." Remus pulled out his wand, and immediately started reciting incantations. When he finished he looked up, "There, lets all calm down for a little while. The rat won't be escaping, and won't be able to transform. If he even tries, he'll probably kill himself."  
  
Sirius just stared at his friend, and then pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm so sorry Rem! I should have listened when you first told me you were standing on Wormtail. . . And now you have silver in your blood! I could have killed you by not getting the rat. I'm so sorry I didn't believe you! And then I hit you! I'm a terrible friend, I'm SO SO Sorry!" He squeezed Remus even harder, and then Remus realized that Sirius was crying.  
  
"Wow," Remus thought, "He's gotten really sensitive since Harry's come to stay. I guess it's true that men lose testosterone when they have children. Harry may not be his son, but Sirius sure does act like he is."  
  
"I'm so sorry," Sirius kept murmuring.  
  
"Shhh, Padfoot it's okay, don't worry about it. I hold no grudges," Remus said comfortingly.  
  
Sirius just shook his head. Remus looked over at Harry helplessly, Harry just shrugged. After a few minutes, Sirius had calmed down a bit, and Remus pulled out of the hug.  
  
"Sirius," Remus began, as he sat down on Harry's bed. Sirius followed suit, with an attentive ear. "You need to calm down a little about this Wormtail thing. . . I can't have you going all maniacal whenever you get near him, okay? I know you don't mean to do it, but if you can't stop it, it would be helpful. Now, we need to formulate a plan here. What are we going to do with him?"  
  
"Turn him in of course. I'd like to kill him right now, but I'd prefer freedom, so I'll keep my hands off him. You'll probably have to bring him in though, if I step out there, I'll get a lovely dementor's kiss before we reach the end of the road!"  
  
"I don't know Sirius. . . Do you really think any of it will work? I mean, what if I get busted for having him, or if I get sentenced for harboring a criminal. Even though you were innocent, it was still a crime. I think we should get Dumbledore back over here. We'll have to wait until tomorrow, though. I really don't want to do anything without his consent."  
  
Sirius just nodded his head. He was not looking forward to having the rat there all night. What if he escaped? Sirius wanted to be able to be there for Harry unconditionally, and he couldn't do that while he couldn't even walk outside. "Will you keep an eye on the rat, Moony? I don't think I could have him around me without killing him," Sirius said bluntly.  
  
Remus nodded, "Yeah, but I think we can leave him here for a little while, after all, I promised Harry I'd get him out of this bed. You still up for some television, Harry?"  
  
Harry, who had been silent, and slightly scared after the Wormtail incident broke into a wide grin. He had forgotten about the television, but definitely wanted to watch some.  
  
This time, Sirius lifted him off the bed, as Remus was still very weak, especially after being punched in the stomach. The three went down to the living room, where a mid-sized television was glowing, but not a sound was coming from it.  
  
"Oh yeah," Sirius said, "I managed to turn it on, but it won't talk! How the hell do you get the thing to talk?"  
  
Harry started cracking up, and Sirius looked down at him, pouting. "Think it's funny do you?" Sirius set Harry down on the couch and started tickling him. Harry was now howling with laughter. "Say uncle, Harry, say uncle!"  
  
Harry immediately stopped laughing. Remus turned away from the television, and shook his head at Sirius, who still couldn't figure out what made Harry stop laughing. He gasped when it finally dawned on him. Harry was staring at his toes now, and Sirius sat beside him. "Sorry Harry, I didn't mean to make you say uncle, it's just a saying you know? I really need to think before I speak. Forgive me???" Sirius said pouting. Harry looked up at him and smiled. It was just impossible to stay mad at Sirius.  
  
"I forgive you Sirius," Harry said, and Sirius wrapped him in a quick hug. Remus watched with a grin on his face.  
  
"So what do we want to watch?" Remus said, after the two had broke apart. "Friends!" Sirius yelled. Remus laughed and turned Friends on. They were just in time to listen to the theme song.  
  
"So no one told you life was gonna be this way. . ." Sirius crooned. He knew all the words by heart, which made Harry start to laugh again. Harry had watched the show a few times in his life, but wasn't that familiar with it. It was the episode where they find out the father of Rachel's baby.  
  
During a commercial break, Sirius began to talk again, "You know, the Friends crew are kind of like the Marauders and the girls from back in the day. . . Moony, you're kind of like Ross, I'm like Joey, and James was like Chandler. And Lily's Monica. And remember Madeline, she was like your Rachel, on again off again, but you never got her pregnant. . . did you?"  
  
Remus looked very embarrassed, but laughed it off. "We really are like the Friends. . . At least we would have been, had it not been for that rat upstairs. . ." he trailed off, a distant look coming over his face.  
  
Sirius looked down as well, Harry, just looked around at the two men, what he saw shocked them. Both Remus and Sirius were shaking with silent sobs, over their lost friends. When they finally realized the other was crying, the went and hugged each other tightly. Doing the man thing, and patting each other's backs. Harry just watched, sympathetically. It made him realize just how much the two had lost. Not only had they lost his parents, but also this Madeline girl, and probably countless others. Eventually, the two stopped crying, and sat back down, the show had already been back on for a few minutes.  
  
"I don't think I want to watch this anymore, Moony," Sirius said shakily.  
  
"Me neither Padfoot, me neither. I'll never be able to watch that show again without crying."  
  
Remus got up and put it on something that wouldn't sadden them in a million years, Sponge Bob Square Pants. "Yessah!" Sirius yelled half-heartedly, trying to get out the depressed mood. Harry and Remus grinned at him, but the mood was still pretty heavy. They watched two episodes of the guy who lives in the pineapple under the sea and loosened up a bit. But by the time it was over, they were quite tired. After all, it had only been one day since Harry had to humble himself to be given a bath, have a fight with Dumbledore and Remus, and catch Wormtail.  
  
Sirius stood up, stretched and yawned, and grabbed Harry off the couch. He cradled him gently in his arms, in a way that made Harry feel like he was being hugged. He felt incredibly happy at that moment. Sirius was turning towards the stairs, when something came rolling down them. They both looked down to see Wormtail, still in his jar. He had apparently been rolling around in the jar like a hamster in one of those wheels. Harry burst out laughing, as did Remus when he turned at the sound. Sirius, however, resumed his ominous stare.  
  
"I'll take care of it Sirius, take Harry upstairs." When Sirius didn't move, he continued, "Now Sirius!"  
  
Sirius broke out of the trance, and immediately headed up the stairs, without a second glance at the rat on the floor.  
  
When he reached his room he paused just inside the door, and sighed. "I'm really sorry Harry."  
  
"Why? What's there to be sorry for?" Harry asked, staring his godfather in the face, confused.  
  
"It's just all my fault. I can't even control myself anymore. It's like he possesses me. Maybe if I had been stronger, I could have done what was right and you would have had me as your guardian all along. I've failed you. . . I failed James," Sirius said, trudging towards his bed.  
  
"Sirius, none of it's your fault. You did what you thought was best. How could you have not gone after him after what he did. Even though it didn't work, I don't think you'd be able to live with yourself if you didn't at least try to avenge my parents death. So don't beat yourself up, okay?" Harry, who was previously just lying in Sirius's arms, wrapped his own arms around Sirius, pulling him into a sort of hug.  
  
"I love you, Harry," he whispered as he set Harry onto his bed. Harry looked up at him and grinned.  
  
"Two people love me. More people love me now then ever before in my life."  
  
"Harry, Remus and I have loved you since the day you were born. I wish you had always known that, but since you didn't please remember it from now on. And I'm sure more than two people love you. . . Lets take your friends for instance?"  
  
"Ron and Hermione? I don't think they LOVE me. . . I mean I know they like me and all but. . ." Sirius interrupted.  
  
"Do you love them Harry?"  
  
"Well. . . yeah, they were my first friends, but I don't think they feel the same way."  
  
"I think they do Harry, I really do."  
  
Harry grinned, "I love you too, Sirius. I guess I pretty much have since I stopped hating you and wanting you dead. And. . . I'm sorry I ever believed you betrayed my parents. I know now that you wouldn't hurt a fly. . . Well, you'd hurt Wormtail, but that's about it."  
  
"Damn right!" Sirius said smiling. I'm going to sleep in here again if that's alright, seeing as you're occupying my bed, and Remus's couch is SO uncomfortable. . ."  
  
"I'd prefer it that way, just. . . How about staying on the cot tonight, I could barely breath this morning with you on my chest and all."  
  
"HEY! I was just trying to protect my godson! Is that such a big deal?"  
  
Harry laughed, "a little overprotective I'd say."  
  
"Whatever. . . 'night Harry," Sirius yawned, pulling Harry's blankets over him  
  
"'Night, Sirius," Harry said, and Sirius rubbed his head, before turning off the lights and getting to his cot.  
  
Sirius started snoring in minutes, making Harry laugh to himself. He stayed awake a while longer though. "Finally," he thought. "I finally have a home where I'm loved, and I love everyone. This is great! We all seem to get a bit over emotional at times, but I love it here. And maybe I can get them to let Ron and Hermione come up for a few days." With all these new happy thoughts, Harry was feeling rejuvenated. Even though he couldn't see his toes, he tried to make them move. He tried once, but thought nothing happened. When he tried a second time, he heard a noise. It was the sound of his blankets rustling.  
That wasn't a cliffhanger ending, but I tried to at least keep you guys wanting some more. Please tell me what you thought of this chapter! I'd really like to know. I won't even tell you when I'll be getting the next one out, because quite frankly I have no idea. It'll probably be at least a week. Thanks for reading! By the way, I was asked by someone if I would send them an email when I update, if anyone else would like this service, please tell me in a review, and I'd be happy to make a mailing list for you all! 


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Have you ever had those weeks where it's only Monday, but you feel like it should be Friday? Well I'm having one of those, and my only solace seems to be in writing, so perhaps you'll get this chapter sooner than I planned.  
  
Phoenixfeather: You know, I don't even know what I'm going to have happen to Pettigrew yet, I'm totally winging this story. I have my small plans set in stone, but how I go about everything else is completely up in the air. I'm pretty sure, he will be turned in EVENTUALLY, but I'm not quite sure what the outcome will be, I don't want this story to become too generic.  
  
Amy Potter 13: Thanks so much : ) I like reviews like this, they make me smile, but tell me what you like about it!!!  
  
Bobbi: What's wrong with the Friends thing? I was actually watching it one day, and, being the crazed hp fan that I am, thought about that, I really think they're similar, but maybe that's just me.Anyway you're review was perfect cuz you actually told me something you didn't like, I'm weird, so I actually like criticism. Thanks for reviewing.  
  
Char: I actually answered your question in the chapter, Harry says, "aren't werewolves allergic to silver?" Now, I don't really know much about werewolves or anything, but I've read it in many stories before, and there's a rumor I heard once that Remus will be killed by Wormtail's silver hand. . . This definitely will not happen in my story, but I hope that answers your question : )  
  
Maryanne: I did see the new movie, and generally liked it, I wasn't impressed with the whole "Lets cheer for Hagrid thing," or the "Okay, I'll hug Harry but not Ron thing." Other than that I liked it, and didn't see too many problems, I even accepted some of the extra things they put in. Although, I HATED the howler, it was like a creepy piece of origami. . . My only other problem with it was due to my own stupidity, I was pronouncing Ginny's name wrong for SO long. . . I pronounced it like Guinea, I felt pretty stupid when I figured that one out. Thanks for the review, and I'll add you to the mailing list once I get it started.  
  
Mo: Without cliffhangers, would any story seem as good? I don't think so! Besides, it's fun to read what people say after I write one : )  
  
Lucretio-del-alba: I'm actually afraid this is too sweet and touching, I think I have everyone crying too much, but I love guys who cry, another weird thing about me : ) And I'm telling you all Cliffies are fun!  
  
Ella: Thanks for the review, I thought I had to get Pettigrew back on the story, and I thought that was a good (funny) way for it to happen. Glad you liked it : )  
  
Celeste Black: I'm not sure if I'm sending you an email on this, but I'm going to try to remember I swear. . . I'm writing these review reviews before I write the story, so I might just forget, but I'll try!  
  
To everyone else: Thanks for the review, but I'm afraid all your questions or comments are from too far back for it to make sense for a review review! But please keep on reviewing, I love reading reviews from people I'm getting to know!  
  
  
  
A/N: Part of this story comes from something that really happened today. To start off, there is a student teacher at my High School, who is my Remus Lupin. Honestly, he looks just like a Remus Lupin, always kind of tired looking, you know? Anyway, today he couldn't get his car to start, and he lives pretty far away, so he thumbed his way to school. However, it was below zero in New England today, and the wind was definitely a bit strong, so his hair was sticking up by the time he got to school. He looked like he had just gotten out of bed, and I couldn't help but laugh when I saw him, so I decided to use it in my story, since he is Remus Lupin, that's what I call him in my head whenever I see him.lol. So when you see * that'll be the part that this came from. If you don't care, sorry but I found it irresistible. I also have a Sirius Black, who comes into the grocery store where I work occasionally. He's so cool looking, long hair in a ponytail, and a nose ring. . . and he always where's this awesome hat, I'm kinda in love with this guy, can you tell??? Neway, if anybody else does this with characters from HP, please tell me so I don't feel quite so insane! Now I'm starting to babble, so on with the story:  
  
After wiggling his toes, Harry just smiled to himself, thinking, "I'm going to be alright. I'm going to walk again if it takes everything I've got, Sirius is going to get freed, and I'm surrounded by people who love me. For the first time ever, life is good."  
  
With those happy thoughts, Harry drifted into blissful sleep. When he woke the next morning, he was happy to see that Sirius had kept his word and remained on his cot. It was, however, obvious that the cot was considerably closer to Harry's bed than it had been the night before. Harry found this quite amusing, was having trouble keeping his laughter quiet. In fact, he was laughing so hard that he woke up Sirius, the man who it was supposedly impossible to wake without a bucket of ice water. Sirius at first looked confused, then grinned at Harry, "Well someone's in a good mood this morning. What may I ask do you find so amusing."  
  
Harry was laughing so hard now that almost couldn't speak, "Its- really not that funny-I-don't know why I'm laughing so hard-but-why are you so close to my bed? Did-you get a little-lonely last-night or some-thing?"  
  
Sirius looked at Harry slightly embarrassed, "Can I help not wanting to be near my godson?" Sirius joked, although his embarrassment was highly visible to Harry. The truth was that Sirius hadn't even realized that he had moved the cot closer, it must have been one of those things that the subconscious is nice enough to do for you.  
  
Harry laughed even harder at this, and Sirius soon gave up on his embarrassment, and joined the laughing. (A/N: Have you ever just started laughing at the most random things? I do it a lot, so I decided Harry should too) They were laughing so hard, that they woke up the third party in the house, who came in to see what the fuss was all about.  
  
"What are you doing? You two could wake the dead!" Remus muttered. *When Sirius and Harry turned to see Remus, there laughter increased ten- fold. His hair was flipped up straight on one side, and his face was red on one side from his pillow. His pajamas were twisted around him, so the buttons of his shirt, were almost under his arm.  
  
"What?" Remus asked, totally confused.  
  
"You look-SO funny!" Harry choked out, before grabbing hold of his stomach because it hurt from laughing so hard. Sirius couldn't say anything, he just nodded his head, before rolling off his cot and onto the floor. Both he and Harry laughed even harder at this, if that was even possible.  
  
Remus, walked over to a mirror in the room to see exactly what they thought was so funny. He couldn't help but grin at his own image. He chuckled a little too, but nowhere near the magnitude of Sirius and Harry. "Okay, so what were you laughing at before I came in?"  
  
Sirius still couldn't manage to talk, so Harry did it for him after calming down a bit, "Well, when I woke up, Sirius was considerably closer than the night before," he started laughing a bit again, "and. . . well, I just thought it was kind of funny."  
  
Remus just looked at him like he was off his rocker for finding that funny. "Okay. . . So since we are all up at the crack of dawn, how about getting ready for the day?" The others just stared at him.  
  
"What are you going to do about Wormtail?" Harry finally said, sobering quickly at the thought.  
  
Remus just looked at him kindly, despite his hideous state, and said, "Wormtail will just have to wait until we're good and ready to deal with him. So get over your GIGGLES, and shower. I'll be out in a few, and then you two are up." He then walked right out the door.  
  
"He needs a good shower, huh, Harry?" Sirius burst once Remus was out of hearing distance. Harry also burst into laughter again, which was soon followed by tears of mirth. He couldn't speak, so he just nodded his head. Sirius was laughing right a long with him.  
  
Once they had calmed down yet again, Sirius walked over and sat on the edge of Harry's bed. "So how are you feeling today?"  
  
"Much better," Harry said cheerfully. "I think, not sure, but I think that I moved my toes last night."  
  
Sirius looked at him shocked. "Harry! Are you serious? That's great! That means you'll probably be on your feet again in no time. But. . . What do you mean you think?"  
  
"Well I was concentrating on trying to move them, but it was too dark to see. Anyway, I heard the sheets move."  
  
Sirius looked a little less excited, but there was still enthusiasm in his voice, "Why don't you try again?"  
  
"Okay," Harry said. He focused on his feet and tried to make them move. Nothing happened. His face immediately fell.  
  
"Don't give up Harry. You can't expect it to work every time. Try again, and if you fail keep on trying, it's bound to work sometime!"  
  
Harry nodded, and tried again. Again, nothing happened. He sighed. "I'm telling you Harry don't give up hope."  
  
Harry stared down at his feet once more, he tried to move his feet back and forth. He expected nothing to come of it, but this time it did! Harry looked up at Sirius, shocked. Sirius was beaming with pride.  
  
"See Harry. You can do anything if you want to enough. Good job. Now try to get better at that, and maybe we'll get you standing some time soon."  
  
Harry grinned, but it soon faded. "What's up, Harry?" Sirius asked quietly.  
  
"Well," Harry started. "It's just. . . If I can barely get my feet to move, how am I ever going to get to go back to Hogwarts? I can't very well go jumping the staircases to go from class to class! What am I going to do?" Harry was now panicking.  
  
Sirius put an arm over his shoulders, and pulled Harry towards his side. He rested his chin on Harry's head as he spoke, "We'll find a way. . . Where there's a will, there's a way. Your father always told me that when we were at school. All you have to do is want it bad enough, and some how everything will be alright. We can get you a wheel chair if you need it, Harry. And there are special ways to get around Hogwarts without using the stairs. . . Trust me. And if I must, I will tell you all of them."  
  
Harry just sighed. Sirius tickled his side in an attempt to lighten the heavy mood that had set in the room. Harry, flinched a little, but smiled and looked up at Sirius. "You ready to get clean Harry?" Sirius asked, "I think Remus is done now, sounds like the water stopped running."  
  
Harry nodded, "I just wish I could do it myself."  
  
"Soon, Harry, I know it," Sirius said reassuringly. He then stood, and scooped Harry up. Repeating the routine they had gone through the previous day. Once he got Harry out and ready, he set him back in bed and went to shower himself. He came back about 15 minutes later with a towel wrapped around his waist, and made for his closet (Raise your hand if you'd like to see Sirius in a towel).  
  
"Forgot my clothes," he said, glancing at Harry who was giving him a look. Harry had been put in actual clothes this time. He was wearing track pants and a t-shirt that said, "Discover the Real England: Diagon Alley." He felt much better just wearing them then he had when he was stuck in two-sizes-too-big pajamas. Apparently, Remus had done a little shopping for him the previous day, Harry had no idea when, though.  
  
Sirius quickly left the room after he gathered his clothes, he returned again a few minutes later. Fully dressed, wearing an outfit almost identical to Harry's. Harry grinned at Sirius when he saw him.  
  
"We match," he said softly. Sirius grinned and then nodded his head.  
  
"You ready for some breakfast? I think Moony's making pancakes, which are almost as good as his garlic bread!"  
  
Harry grinned and nodded, he was starving as he had skipped dinner the night before.  
  
"You'll be able to sit in a chair, right? It might hurt a bit to get bending again, but I think the more we loosen those bones up the sooner you'll be walking again."  
  
"I'm up for it," Harry replied determinedly.  
  
Sirius scooped him up and started walking out of the room. Harry's shirt had ridden up in the process, so Sirius took a moment to stop and blow a raspberry on Harry's stomach. Harry was at first shocked, but then smacked Sirius on the back of the head and pulled his shirt back down. Sirius grinned at Harry and headed down the stairs. Once they reached the kitchen Sirius pulled a chair out with his foot and plopped Harry down in it. He had to forcefully push Harry into a sitting position. He did it as gently as possible, but could tell he was slightly hurting his godson. "Sorry Harry, but I think it's for the best."  
  
Harry nodded, "Yeah, it does hurt, but it feels good to be sitting like a normal person again." Remus turned from the stove and sent Harry a sympathetic look.  
  
"Breakfast's almost done," he said to the two at the table. Remus soon brought over a plate carrying a tower of pancakes. "Well you two are just Mutt and Jeff today aren't you?" Remus said, noting their matching outfits. (If anyone actually knows who Mutt and Jeff are, please tell me. A teacher at school calls me and my friend that all the time, I get the idea that they're really good friends, so I thought I'd use it here.)  
  
Harry looked confused, but Sirius smiled and nodded, throwing his arm around the back of Harry's chair. Harry just shrugged his shoulders. Then dug into the pancakes that Remus had slapped onto his plate. He ate as fast as he could, barely chewing. "Careful Harry, I don't want to have to do the Heimlich Charm," Remus said half joking half serious.  
  
Harry slowed down momentarily, but then sped back up again. He hadn't been able to eat such wonderful food since Hogwarts, and there he would hold back a little. But now, Harry was at his home, and didn't really care what the other two thought. He was hungry, he was enjoying his food, and he was going to eat however much he wanted. And he did just that, eating for at least ten minutes after both Sirius and Remus had finished.  
  
When he finally took his last bite, Remus grinned at him, but Sirius was looking very pensive. "Were they starving you too Harry? I have never seen anybody eat like that before. It looked like you hadn't eaten in days!"  
  
"Well they had Dudley on a diet, so they decided to keep me on one too. I got enough though, I was never REALLY hungry. Don't worry about it Sirius, food was the least of my worries at the Dursley's. . ." Harry said, looking down at his plate, depressed at recalling what he had been through. Sirius put his arm over Harry's shoulder's again, and squeezed him gently as a sign of support. Harry looked up and gave Sirius a brave grin.  
  
Harry sighed, and looked up at Remus, "So, what are we doing today?"  
  
"Today, we're going to deal with Wormtail. Dumbledore will be over again and we're going to discuss what the best way will be to deal with this situation. In the mean time, what do you want to do Harry?"  
  
"Well, I wish I could see my friends some time, I really miss them, but I'm sure now is not a good time at all. I just don't want to lay in bed all day again, that's really not fun."  
  
"Do you want to fly Harry?" Sirius asked tentatively, curious about what Harry would think of the idea.  
  
"Sirius, NO!" Remus said, "You can't take him flying! He's just barely starting to improve, and you want to take the risk of him getting hurt? There is no way I'm letting you do this. No!" Sirius kept pleading with his eyes.  
  
"Moony, come on! I'm going to be really careful, there is no way in Hell I'd let Harry fall off the broom. He loves flying, and I bet he really misses it. Think of how hard it must be for him. His life may be better while he's here, but he still can't do the things he loves to do and misses the most. I'm trying to make him happy Moony, and this really won't hurt him I swear!" Sirius had a begging tone in his voice. It was clear that he was willing to do almost anything to make Harry completely happy again. Harry looked between the two men with a grin on his face. It would make his day to be able to simply go outside, and nothing would feel better than to fly again.  
  
Harry looked expectantly at Remus who looked like he was fighting an internal battle. He looked between Sirius and Harry and saw in their eyes how much they wanted to do it. "Oh what the Hell," Remus conceded. Harry and Sirius broke into identical huge grins. Remus smiled too, "Just take it easy. I don't want you practicing wronski feignts or anything okay?"  
  
Harry and Sirius both nodded, their grins still spreading across their faces. "Can I talk to you for a minute before we deal with all this though, Sir?" Remus asked, looking a little pensive.  
  
"Sure Moony. . ." Sirius said then turned to Harry who was still grinning broadly at the prospect of flying. "You'll be alright here for a few more minutes, right bud?"  
  
Harry grinned and nodded. He had always wanted a pet name, and liked being called 'bud'. It was the kind of thing a parent would call a son and Harry wanted a parent more than anything.  
  
Sirius and Remus walked out of the kitchen , through the living room, and into an office/den. "I have a plan, Padfoot. Harry said what he would like to do most today was have his friends over, so why don't we have them over? It would be the perfect distraction for him while we're talking to Dumbledore."  
  
Sirius was surprised that Remus had thought of this. It seemed like the kind of crazy idea that he would have himself. Generally, Remus thought of the obvious things to do while Sirius thought of the harder things, but this time their roles switched. "That's a great idea Moony! Harry will love that. But do you think you can get them over at such a short notice? I mean what if they're doing something?"  
  
"Well it can't hurt to try, am I right?"  
  
Sirius shook his head, so Remus continued, "While you are out, flying, with Harry, I'll floo to Ron's house and pick him up, then apparate to Hermione's, I don't think her house will be hooked up. Then I'll probably apparate them to Diagon Alley, so we can floo back. I wish we could apparate to back here, but Harry would be at such a risk if we didn't have that. . . So what do you think?"  
  
Sirius just looked at Remus shocked. When did he think all this up? He seemed to be able to think up plans in an instance. "Sounds really good Moony, how'd you come up with that so fast?"  
  
"I guess I just want to make Harry happy, just like you with your lovely flying stint. I still don't really like the idea you know."  
  
"Too bad, Harry and I are going flying. If you're done talking, I'm going to go get him ready to go outside. Man, Moony, Harry's going to be so surprised I can't wait!" With that, he turned and went back to the kitchen. He was beaming when he got back, and Harry looked curious as to why. When he asked, Sirius responded, "Oh, its nothing, I just haven't flown in a while. I'm kind of excited. Do you want to take your Firebolt, or Moony's old broom?"  
  
Harry smirked, "The Firebolt of course!"  
  
Sirius grinned, "How could I have been so stupid? I'll go grab it from your room, be right back."  
  
He passed Remus at the stairs, "I'll be back soon Padfoot."  
  
"Okay, Moony, bye," Remus replied before jogging up the stairs. He quickly retrieved the Firebolt and was about to head back downstairs when he heard an odd screeching noise coming from Remus's room. He walked into the center of the room to see where the noise was coming from. His eyes immediately focused on Wormtail's jar. He was scratching at the sides of the jar, trying to find a way out. Sirius dropped the broom on the floor and closed the space between himself and the jar, like he was being drawn to it. For a few moments he just stood there staring at the jar. Then suddenly and quickly he snapped it up in his hands.  
  
  
  
A/N: Review please. I just wanted you all to know that my moods are constantly changing, and I write the way I feel, so you may notice the feeling of this story changing every now and then, after I've taken a break I've noticed this particularly after the Remus wakes up scene (I was kind of hyper then). Hopefully u guy's don't notice too much though, I'm trying to be consistent. Again, please review, and if you want ask me to add you to the mailing list : ) 


	9. Chapter 9

Sad news, the student teacher who looks like Remus Lupin will be leaving Monday, the 16th of December. . . I'm terribly sad and he wasn't even my teacher! I guess I'm just going to have to get a new Lupin, but I don't think anyone can match him, he was Moony in every way, shape, and form.  
  
Phoenix Tears Type 6: What exactly is angst, in stories that is, I've never quite figured that out. Also if you happen to know what is an AU fic? And another thing what the hell is a moldywart voldiepoo? LOL thanks for the review!  
  
Amy Potter 13: Thanks for the review, I love that you love my story : ) I can't imagine anyone doesn't like a Harry, Remus, Sirius fic, I think they're just irresistible!  
  
Black Moon: This chapter will answer your first question, at least to a point. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who looks for characters, I really do it with all the books I read, but never have I found someone who reminded me of a character as much as that teacher. . . I'm so sad that he's leaving! And I think any girl would love to see Sirius Black in a towel. I just can't resist him. When I decided to write a fic my one criteria was that it must have him in it!  
  
Phoenix Feather: This will be the first test of the mailing list, if you aren't notified, tell me and I'll try to figure out why. I'm trying to make the story not so mushy gushy, so I'm adding some fun stuff too. I imagine life with Sirius has to be fun sometimes, and everyone needs to goof off a bit, even if they're paralyzed!  
  
Maryanne: Yes, I feel pretty stupid about the Ginny thing, I still pronounce her name wrong cuz I'm so used to it. I mean, I can pronounce Hermione right, but not Ginny??? How wrong is that? But I must say, saying Snape wrong is just as bad!  
  
Padfoor1979: Thanks for the info about Mutt and Jeff. I know can't believe that my teacher called us that. I'm not perfect, but my best bud is the biggest goody goody in the school, she's in the running for Valedictorian! But it's nice to know that the Marauders would be proud : ) And I'm glad you don't think my mood's are a problem, cuz they really come and go like the weather!  
  
Evil Snapple Pie: Yes, poor everyone. . .Don't you wish you could just tell the characters of the story what to do? As to why Remus left the jar there. . . I don't know! It just had to happen, I mean what else could he have done with it? Thanks for the review!  
  
Feenamon16: LOL, I got your review just as I was writing these out, you were just in time, I'm wondering if you read the story cuz I just told you too, or if you found it on your own! I'm trying hard to get what everyone feels in, and eventually, Wormtail will get what he deserves, but not necessarily in the way you may expect, I haven't decided yet : ) LOL, now I just got your other email!  
  
Katie: I love your review, everyone should read it and send me one just like it : ) I never accidentally called that teacher Remus, I would be mortified if that happened, no one really knows about my Harry Potter addiction, and I'd like to keep it that way! And to be honest, he's not my teacher, but I see him almost every day, and I've only talked to him once. He's my best buds homeroom teacher's student teacher, which is how I know him at all and how I found out about the hitch hiking incident, I still laugh just thinking about how he looked. I wish I had had me camera! Now, onto Sirius Black, and I guess we can throw Remus into this too cuz he can't be ugly now can he? I'm so worried that they're going to cast some really awful people for Sirius and Remus, and then my image of them will be forever tarnished. . . I almost dread it! And, I never really noticed that they didn't describe them much, especially Sirius, cuz we only really saw him looking completely nasty right? I have no intention of killing either of them off, Harry needs them too much, but what will come will come, if I feel the need later on they may be on their way out! And trust me, 15 year old guys can giggle! I have a friend who's 17 and giggles all the time, its hilarious and contagious! I was really just trying to lighten this chapter up though. I get like that all the time in the morning, so I thought Harry could too! Now, I think I've written enough to you! Thanks for the great review!  
  
Mihoshe: I've decided that you can use my story, I did eventually get your site to work! Thanks for the review!  
  
Sirius drew the jar up to his face, and stood there for long moments, simply staring at the rat inside. A look of pure loathing upon his face. It was almost as if the rat was hypnotizing him, trying to enrapture him.  
  
Downstairs, Harry was wondering what was taking Sirius so long. He figured maybe he was just having trouble getting the broom out from where ever it had been placed. When Sirius had been gone ten minutes, Harry got a little suspicious.  
  
"Sirius!" he called, "What's taking so long?"  
  
Meanwhile, Sirius had gone further with the rat in his hands. He had slowly begun to unscrew the cover of the jar, which had been shut very tightly by Remus. Sirius was almost maniacally trying to open the jar. He had succeeded in loosening the cover when Harry's voice reached his ears. He broke out of the trance and dropped the jar with the loosened cover onto the ground. He scooped up the broomstick and headed downstairs, completely ignoring the rat.  
  
"Sorry about that, Harry," he replied hurriedly. "You ready?"  
  
Harry looked suspiciously at Sirius, but nodded his head, and didn't press Sirius with any questions. Sirius held out the broom to Harry who took it quickly. He had missed his broom. Sirius scooped Harry into his arms and headed for the door to the backyard.  
  
Remus had a huge backyard, and Sirius walked Harry to the middle of it. When he got there, he maneuvered Harry, the broom, and himself into a position that allowed him to hold both the broom and the boy. Once he felt that all was secure, he took off from the ground, and flew high into the air. He felt Harry tense up when they first soared into the sky, but eventually he relaxed. Harry had a smile on his face that wrapped around his entire body. Sirius couldn't see his face, but could tell just how happy Harry was. They just flew around in circles, varying speeds and directions, for nearly an hour.  
  
An hour is quite a lot of time for a rat to open a jar. . . While Harry and Sirius were flying around outside, Wormtail was in his jar, working hard to unscrew the loosened cover, and he was making some definite progress.  
  
While Harry and Sirius were flying, and Wormtail was working on his escape, Remus was traveling all over Europe. As planned, his first stop was the Weasley house. He flooed right into their kitchen, to find the youngest Weasley, Ginny, sitting at the table.  
  
She looked up startled when he entered, and just stared at him, mouth agape.  
  
"Hi Ginny," Remus said uncertainly. He was a little put out by the way he was being stared at.  
  
"Uh. . . Hi, Professor Lupin," Ginny stuttered. "What are you do- doing here?"  
  
"Well, I was actually wondering if Ron and your parents were around, I need to talk to them for a few minutes."  
  
"Okay," Ginny peeped before running from the kitchen to get the requested people. Remus was really surprised by her behavior, she had always been a little shy, but she was 14 now. It struck him as odd that she was still so timid. "Maybe it's just because she knows I'm a werewolf," Remus thought grimly. He took a seat at the table and waited for the Weasley clan to enter the room.  
  
All of a sudden, a chill came over Remus's body. The wolf in him was signaling that something wasn't right. Yet, as soon as it came, it vanished. Remus just shook his head, thinking, "weird."  
  
His thoughts were interrupted, when he heard someone running down a flight of stairs. It was Ron, who made quite an entrance into the kitchen, clearly happy to see any reminder of Harry. When he neared the table, he slowed down, and said "Professor Lupin, what's shaking?" He was trying to be cool, but it just wasn't working. Remus just laughed out loud, saying, "Nothings shaking, Ron. How's it going?"  
  
"It's going good, how's Harry? Dad said he was staying at your place," Ron said excited.  
  
Remus nodded that Harry was indeed staying at his house, but had to add, "but, he's really not doing so good. All I'm going to tell you is that Harry is currently paralyzed, he can move most of his upper body, but can't get himself out of bed at all."  
  
Ron's face went pale and his mouth was agape. "Bloody Hell," was all he could say. He finally recovered from his initial shock, which turned directly to worry, "Well, what happened?! Did Voldemort attack him? I need to know Professor!"  
  
"Shhh, Ron calm down okay? I'm going to let Harry be the one to tell you how it happened, okay? I think it's his story to tell, not mine. Now I'll tell you this, it had nothing to do with Voldemort, or magic at all, so don't get too stressed about it. I can also tell you that Harry is no longer in any danger."  
  
"Okay, I can deal with that. But how's he dealing with it? Is he okay?"  
  
"Well, he's handling it about as well as can be expected, he had a pretty rough day yesterday, but today he seems to be doing great. I think his biggest problem is with letting other people help him."  
  
Ron nodded, knowing full well how much Harry hated being helped. He was the most independent kid Ron knew. "So, why exactly are you Professor?" Ron asked turning slightly confused.  
  
Remus smiled, "I'm here to make Harry's day even better. Right now Sirius is taking him flying, and I am gathering his closest friends for a visit. What do you say?"  
  
Ron looked speechless, but of course, he wasn't, "Are you serious!!! I can go see Harry? Wicked!"  
  
Remus couldn't help but laugh at Ron's exuberance. "Yeah, I'm serious, it's a surprise, so we're going to have to be a little sneaky, though."  
  
Ron nodded seriously, "Okay, well I have to go ask mum, she said she'd be down in a minute, but I'll just go find her." Ron exited the room in much the same manor as he had entered. Remus smiled, thinking how similar the bond between Ron and Harry was to that of the Marauders.  
  
Remus was soon overtaken by another chill. He had had these before, and they always meant something bad was about to happen. I need to get back as soon as possible. Remus stood to leave, but then remembered what he was there for. "I can't leave him behind. . . He was so excited. But there is no way I can waste time to get Hermione, she'll visit another day." He sat back in his chair and waited impatiently. After what seemed like an eternity, but was really only one minute, Ron walked back into the room, trailed by his mother.  
  
"Remus, how nice it is to see you." Mrs. Weasley said perkily.  
  
"And you, Molly. Has your son told you why I'm here?"  
  
"Yes he has, and I have no problem with him going. I trust he'll be quite safe at your home, and it will really brighten poor Harry's day."  
  
"Yeah, and he really needs it brightened. He's had a really tough life."  
  
Mrs. Weasley nodded sadly. Remus, not wanting to sound rude, but really wanting to get back home, stopped the conversation quite short. "Well, if Ron doesn't need to bring anything we best be off, there's something I need to take care of at home. Thank you very much Molly, I think Harry will really enjoy this."  
  
"It's my pleasure Remus," she said, then turned to Ron, "You be on your best behavior Ronald Weasley." She was holding him by his shoulders like he was little, although he was now just as tall as she was. She was the epitome of an overprotective mother. Despite his worry, Remus had to struggle to keep from laughing.  
  
"Now Remus, when will you have him back?"  
  
"Probably this evening, after dinner. But if Harry and Ron want, I may just have him stay the night. I'll be sure to contact you before though."  
  
"That sounds good," Mrs. Weasley said, before zoning in and kissing Ron on the cheek.  
  
Ron turned bright red and looked ready to blow a fuse. "Bye mum," he said shortly.  
  
"Have fun Ron," she replied and then left the room.  
  
Ron shook his head when he left and Remus grinned at him. "I was going to get Hermione too, but there's something I need to do at home first. Now, since Harry's at my house there are special wards up. I'm going to have to go through first. Say exactly what I say. Only, once you reach my house you won't be able to go straight through, a bell will alert me that you're coming through and you'll have to state your name. Don't panic, okay? And then I'll let you through."  
  
Ron nodded his head, thinking, "Wow, all this for Harry. They must be pretty worried that something is going to happen.  
  
"Are you ready?" Remus asked. Ron nodded. Remus stepped up to the fireplace, threw in some floo powder and said, "Lupin Loft."  
  
He almost immediately found himself back in his living room. The first thing he did was march to the window facing the backyard. He sighed with relief when he found that Sirius and Harry were still flying through the air. "What can be wrong then," he wondered, and then it came to him, "Wormtail." He had completely forgotten about Ron, and was ready to run upstairs, when the fire place began to ring. He groaned, and walked over to it, "Name please."  
  
Ron's voice came through the roaring flames, "Ronald Weasley."  
  
Remus called, "Enter," and Ron came through the fireplace. "Take a seat Ron, I'll be right back. If you hear Harry coming hide in that closet okay? I want to see his expression when he sees you."  
  
With that, he ran up the stairs two at a time.  
  
Wormtail had finally managed to get the jar open, and sat panting inside it. It had taken so much effort for him to open it that he didn't have enough energy to get out of it. He had been resting for only one minute, when he heard running outside, and looked up in time to see the door burst open. "Oh Bloody Hell," the rat thought as he saw Remus stride into the room. He dove onto the floor and clasped his hands over the rat, as it tried to get away. His hands just missed the body of the rat, and it was slowly scurrying away. Remus rolled on his side in the direction the rat was traveling and slapped his hand down hard on the floor. He just barely pinned down Peter's tail and began laughing insanely.  
  
"Gotcha you little shit," he said through his laughs. He held tightly to the rat and put him back in the jar. Screwing the lid back on very tightly and this time adding a charm that wouldn't allow anyone to open the jar simply by twisting it off. "Sirius," Remus thought, "He must have done something, there's no way that rat could have gotten out if Sirius hadn't been messing with it. I need to get this rat out of here ASAP."  
  
Remus stuck the rat on a shelf in his closet and shut the door. He then tried to calm down a little before going downstairs. He glanced out his window and saw Harry and Sirius whiz by. It looked like they were heading towards the ground, getting ready to head inside. Time for Remus to return downstairs.  
  
He hurriedly went down to the living room where Ron was getting comfy on the couch. "They're coming in, now a word of advice, don't look shocked at his state, or he's going to feel uncomfortable and self-conscious."  
  
Ron nodded, looking nervous, and a bit worried about his friend. They heard the back door open, and Sirius and Harry's laughs came through the room. Sirius was walking down the hall with Harry in his arms, until they reached the living room. Ron and Remus stood up upon their entry, hoping to see the surprised look on Harry's face. What they were hoping to see, however, they did not. Harry turned bright red at the sight of his friend, and didn't even crack a smile.  
  
Ron looked a little put out, he smiled meekly at his friend, "Hey mate. . . It's good to see you?" Ron had turned the statement into a question, as he was really unsure of himself due to Harry's facial expressions.  
  
Harry nodded, and looked down sadly. Ron looked down as well, he was thoroughly hurt that his presence hadn't meant more to Harry.  
  
Sirius had felt Harry stiffen the moment they had entered the room. His mood had gone from lighthearted to depressed by the sight of his friend, which really shocked Sirius. "Uh, Ron, I'm going to talk to Harry for a few minutes. Moony, I think you should come too. We'll be right back, Ron."  
  
Ron nodded his head sadly and sat back down on the couch looking more than a little upset. Remus saw the look on his face and went to talk to him for a moment before following Harry and Sirius. "I don't think it's that he's not happy to see you, he probably just doesn't want you to see him like this. I should have known that it would happen. I think Sirius and I can get him to come around though, don't worry about it, okay?"  
  
Ron nodded, but he looked a little skeptical.  
  
Sirius had taken Harry upstairs to his room, so Remus had to climb the stairs yet again. Sirius was just setting Harry down on the bed when Remus entered the room.  
  
They all just sat around silently for a few moments before Sirius spoke up, "Harry what's up? We thought you'd be happy to see Ron."  
  
Harry looked at him for a moment before speaking, "Well, I am happy to see him, I guess. It's just, I don't want my friends to think I'm completely helpless, you know? I mean, I want my friends to see me the way they always have, not as an invalid who can't even walk through the house."  
  
"Understandable, Harry," Remus said. "But Ron's your friend, he's going to be there for you. You'll have some moral support from someone your own age rather than us two old men."  
  
"Who are you calling an old man!" Sirius yelled indignantly.  
  
"Also, didn't you say this morning that you would really like to see your friends again?"  
  
"Yeah," Harry said, "But I didn't think it was really going to happen. Thanks, though. I don't want to sound ungrateful. You guys are awesome, it's just, I don't think I was totally ready to face Ron after what happened, you know?"  
  
"We understand, Harry. Do you want Moony to take Ron home? I mean, we invited him over to give you something to do while we figure out what we're going to do with Peter, but if you'd rather he left. . ."  
  
"No, I think I'll deal with it. Thanks for trying to make my day fun, I'm sure in the long run it'll be okay. You want to send him up?"  
  
"I'll go get him," Sirius said before leaving the room, "I didn't even say hello really."  
  
"So you're not mad right Harry?" Remus asked.  
  
"No I'm not mad, sorry I wasn't as excited as you seemed to expect me to be. I was definitely shocked, I guess I was pretty rude there, huh?"  
  
"Maybe a little, but it was completely understandable. I'm sure even Ron will understand."  
  
Ron was slouched on the couch when Sirius made it back down to the living room. Sirius slid over to the couch and flopped down right next to Ron, throwing his arm over his shoulders. "Hello," he said smiling.  
  
Ron looked at him like he was insane, but said, "hi," anyway.  
  
"Soooooooo, how's the summer been going?"  
  
"Fine," Ron said shortly, his mind clearly on Harry's unhappiness at the sight of him.  
  
"So, you weren't too impressed with Harry's entrance were you?"  
  
"Is he mad at me or something? What did I do?"  
  
"It wasn't anything you did. No, he's not mad at you. He's just really insecure about his. . .umm. . .condition. However, Remus and I just talked to him, and he wants you to stay."  
  
Ron perked up, "Really?! Are you sure?"  
  
"Absolutely, and unless I'm much mistaken he feels like a shit-head for his, umm. . . rudeness."  
  
Ron grinned at how easygoing Sirius was about the whole situation.  
  
"Now, he's waiting upstairs for you. Follow me and I'll take you to him."  
  
They both stood up and climbed the stairs. They heard laughter when they reached his room. Harry was telling Remus about flying, and how a squirrel who was in a tree dropped all of his acorns when Sirius and Harry had flown at it. It was really more like Harry was laughing and Remus was nodding his head like he thought Harry was insane.  
  
"I guess you had to be there," Harry said through his laughter.  
  
"Had to be where?" Sirius asked upon entering the room.  
  
Harry grinned at him, outside when that squirrel lost all of his acorns." Harry started laughing again, and Sirius soon joined in. Remus just shook his head, thinking they were crazy. Ron just grinned at the two. He was happy that his friend now had someone like a father that he could just goof off with.  
  
Once Harry had recovered from his laughter, he glanced over at Ron, and smiled. He then looked pointedly at Sirius and Remus, who took the hint. Before leaving, Sirius said, "Have fun, and don't do anything the Marauders would do!"  
  
Harry grinned as he watched them leave.  
  
Ron stepped further into the room before saying, "Look, Harry, I'm really sorry about before. . ." Harry put his hand up to silence him.  
  
"You've got nothing to be sorry for. I was the one acting like a complete prat. It's just. . .well. . .I didn't really want anybody seeing me like that. But I guess it was inevitable. I just wish Sirius and Remus had given me a little warning, you know?"  
  
Ron nodded, relaxing a bit at the fact that Harry wasn't mad at him. He went and sat down at the bottom of Harry's bed.  
  
"So, how's your summer been? How's the family?" Harry asked, relaxing as well.  
  
"Everyone's great, the summer's been pretty eventful. Fred and George somehow got a ton of money and there inventions have been getting wilder and wilder. You have to see them!"  
  
Harry grinned, happy his money had gone to something good.  
  
"Have you talked to Hermione at all?" Harry asked. "I wonder why Remus didn't bring her over, too."  
  
"Well, he told me he was going to, but that he had to get back here really quickly, he didn't tell me why though."  
  
Harry was curious about that, but decided not to focus on it. "I did get one letter from her though. She's already studying for the OWL's and say's we should be as well. There so far away, that I would forget what I studied if I started studying now!"  
  
Harry laughed at the indignant expression on his friends face. Nobody could get Ron fired up quite like Hermione.  
  
Ron soon calmed down though, and his thoughts turned back to Harry. "So, what happened to you Harry. Remus wouldn't tell me anything except that it wasn't Voldemort."  
  
Harry looked down, he knew he was going to have to tell his friends some day, but was hoping it wouldn't be for a while. He decided that it was going to be just as hard now as later, though, so he chose to tell Ron everything that had happened.  
  
Harry talked for nearly half an hour non-stop about the abuse he had suffered over the years, before he even reached the part about the summer. Ron was shocked at what Harry had been through. And even more shocked that Harry had come out of it the way he had. Ron expected that someone who had been through torture like that all of his life would be a little more introversive and weak, which was the opposite of Harry. He may not be the most outgoing guy in the world, but he was definitely strong and self- confident.  
  
"Why didn't you tell anyone Harry?" Ron asked tentatively, looking at his friend sympathetically.  
  
"I didn't think there was anything anyone could do. I mean, half the wizarding world already had my back, I didn't want to add to anyone's worries."  
  
"You should have told me or my parents. We would have taken you in! I know Dumbledore wouldn't let you stay this summer, but if he had known that you were getting the crap beat out of you, I think he would have changed his mind."  
  
Harry looked down. "I know. . . It's just, I don't know, I just didn't want anyone to know what was happening. It made me feel. . . like I couldn't take care of myself, you know?"  
  
"Harry you're barely fifteen!. . . Wait, you're not even fifteen yet! You're not supposed to take care of yourself!" Ron yelled, throwing his hands up. "Ah. . . you're hopeless you know that mate?"  
  
Harry grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, it's just the way I am."  
  
"That's why we like you Harry," Ron said, "Now why don't you finish your story?"  
  
Harry took a deep breath, and began telling him about the most recent events with the Dursley's. He told him, in detail, about being called the murderer, being a human punching bag, and that last night at the Dursley's.  
  
Harry was near tears when he finished. Thoughts of Cedric resurfacing in his head, as well as the guilt that always accompanied them. Ron was near tears as well. Both of them, however, were too manly to let their tears fall. Harry hastily wiped his dry, as Ron looked up at the ceiling, pretending to be staring at the ceiling fan. They were silent, for a few minutes while they got over their sadness.  
  
"So," Ron began, "How'd you end up at Professor Lupin's?"  
  
Harry broke into the first real smile Ron had seen on him since before the third task. He described how Sirius had sent that letter, and then they had rescued him. He also told Ron about the attack on the Dursley's, and how relieved he felt because of it.  
  
"I know it's pretty awful of me to be happy they're dead, but it's just such a relief. Together they've caused me more pain then Voldemort, and now they can never hurt me again. So it's really just a relief."  
  
Ron nodded, understanding completely. "I'm relieved for you mate."  
  
Harry grinned at his friend. They talked for a while about much lighter topics, and then decided to play a little chess.  
  
Meanwhile, downstairs, another pair of friends were having a deep conversation. However, it did not start off as amicably.  
  
"What the Hell is the matter with you Sirius!" Remus yelled. "Do you WANT to be in hiding forever? If not, I'd really like to know why Wormtail escaped his jar after I left!"  
  
Sirius looked at Remus shocked, and for a while remained speechless. Then, he surprised Remus by starting to cry.  
  
A/N: Lucky for all you readers, I had a snow day, followed by a lovely sick day of throwing up. It left me with a lot of time to write. Although, for me it was not so good : ) I'll try to update again soon and you'll find out why Sirius is crying. I really hope this story isn't too sappy! Please leave reviews, even if you've reviewed before, keep doing it! It gives me encouragement to write more sooner! And again, if anyone wants an email update tell me and I'd be happy to help you out! 


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I didn't get to see Mr. N (Remus) off today. . . How disappointing! I can't believe I won't be seeing him everyday from now on : (  
  
  
  
Sirius: So you want to know why you're crying, huh? Well here it is. . .  
  
Ella: Who doesn't like squirrel's? My friend and I have a squirrel fetish too. . . One day we were driving through town and she's like, "Is that a squirrel or a chipmunk?" and ever since we can't help but laugh when we see them.  
  
Celeste Black: Ummm. . . Thanks for the review? Did something happen there?  
  
Lucretio-del-alba: Don't worry, I didn't think you were a guy. . .I took Spanish, but I really wouldn't have been able to figure out what you were by that, I didn't learn too much, did I? Neway I'm glad you don't think this story is too sappy, but I'd like to know if you think the same after this chapter. . .  
  
Katie: What's a Mary Sue writer? Yah. . . I thought the squirrel was pretty funny myself. . . I hope I didn't over do them in the following chapter though. . . And it's good to know that you think I'm funny. I'm the kind of person who usually can only make other people laugh when I laugh. I have this really uncontrollable laughter that gets everyone around me either laughing, or giving me funny looks. . . Are you slightly embarrassed by your obsession? I am terribly, and my family often likes to use it against me. I will literally die if people at school find out, they only know that I like the books, not all this other stuff. . . And I love Eminem as well. . .I hated his movie, though, the only thing that kept me there was his gorgeous face!  
  
Hermionebelch: Well. . . My first mean review. See, you're probably never going to read this, but I'd just like you to know that I did not appreciate that. It's one thing to not like my story, but it's another to bash it after reading only one chapter, and then not even tell me what you didn't like about it. . . Ever hear of constructive criticism???  
  
  
  
  
  
"Sirius?" Remus started in a much calmer voice. Sirius shook his head, sobbing and flopped down on the couch, burying his face in his hands. His shoulders were shaking hard with the sobs. "Sirius, what's wrong?" Remus asked, sitting next to his friend and putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.  
  
Sirius sat up and pulled Remus into a very tight hug, burying his head into Remus's neck, still sobbing, and catching Remus completely off guard. "I can't handle this Remus! I can't! I don't know what to do anymore!"  
  
Remus tried to think of the right thing to say. Of course, he had known that Sirius was having trouble with Wormtail in the house, but didn't know it was getting to him like this. "Sirius, first tell me what happened earlier, okay?"  
  
He felt more than saw Sirius nod. Sirius pulled out of the hug, tried to dry his eyes, which didn't work, and started to tell what had happened. "I heard him Moony, when I was going to get Harry's broom, I heard him scratching at his jar. I went in to see, and I just couldn't- couldn't get away from the jar. I wanted to kill him Moony, and I would have! I was opening the jar so I could get him out of there and kill him. . . I knew I shouldn't, that it would spell disaster for me, but I couldn't stay away. If Harry hadn't yelled wondering where I was, I would have done it. When I'm around that rat, all I can think about is him, you know? I can't help it! And now you say he almost escaped! All because of me, because I can't control myself!" Sirius broke down again, this time into harder sobs. "I'm. . . So sorry Moony, but-I don't know what to do!"  
  
"Shhh Padfoot, it's going to be okay. We should have Wormtail out by tonight, and you'll never have to see his traitorous face again! You just have to make it through the rest of the day. And I'll help you. Don't worry about it. We still have Wormtail, I made it home in time. You're going to get your freedom!" Remus was rubbing his friends back when he said this. Sirius just kept shaking his head.  
  
"I'm a failure Moony! Just look at me. . . My only job in life was to take care of Harry. That's it. And what do I do? I get his parents killed, and then I get myself arrested so that he has to live with his horrid relatives. Then I finally get the opportunity to be there for him, for the rest of his life, and I put that in jeopardy too! Lily and James should have made you Harry's guardian, you would have done a much better job."  
  
Remus sighed. He had known that James and Lily probably would have made him Harry's guardian if it hadn't been for one thing, his lycanthropy. James and Lily had no problems with the werewolf themselves, but knew that if anything happened to them people would have problems letting Remus raise Harry. "Sirius, you know I could never have been Harry's godfather. You were and are the best man for the job. And you haven't ruined it yet. Harry still has a few years left where he needs a parent figure, and you still have a chance to fill that spot."  
  
"But, Moony, how can I be a good parent to Harry, when I can't even control myself?" Sirius sobbed.  
  
"Sirius, you can control yourself. . .just not around the rat, and the rats on his way out. You have nothing to worry about anymore, okay? Now stop moping."  
  
Sirius looked up with his tear stained eyes. He shook his head. "I do have something to worry about Moony. What if they don't give me my freedom? What if they don't care that Wormtail is still alive? They might still think that it was me who killed all those muggles, and that Wormtail. . . I don't know. . . Just, what if it doesn't go the way we think it will?"  
  
"That's a risk we're going to have to take. We NEED to turn Wormtail in, and we need to have you proven innocent as soon as we can! If you get caught Padfoot, you're not going back to Azkaban, you're just going to get a kiss. A kiss you're not going to want to get. So, we can't risk you getting caught. Harry really needs you, and if you're free, you can help him so much more."  
  
Sirius nodded sadly. Ever since they had caught Wormtail, Sirius feared what the outcome would be. Potentially, he could be sent back to Azkaban even though the ministry knew he hadn't killed Pettigrew, and the idea of returning to that place terrified him. He tried to put on a strong face for Remus, but couldn't, so he continued to cry. Remus wrapped his arms around his friend again and just hugged him while he cried in anguish. He muttered words of encouragement, but it seemed nothing was seeping through to Sirius.  
  
"I'm not going to let anything happen to you Sirius. I will fight tooth and nail to get you your freedom, which should never have been taken away in the first place." Remus was near tears now, too. He felt Sirius relax slightly after his little speech. "Sirius, I know you're scared. I'm scared too, but we're going to get through this. And in order to do that, we need to see Dumbledore. I've already called for him, and he should be here in a half an hour. Think you can cheer up a bit by then?"  
  
Sirius nodded through his tears. Remus stood up. "Why don't you try to sleep it off, Sirius. . ." Sirius again nodded. Remus left for the kitchen to make some sandwiches for everyone. When he returned he found Sirius dead asleep on the couch, his face still wet from his tears. He shook his head thinking, "Poor Sirius, he's been through so much more than he deserves. I really hope everything works out, he really needs it to."  
  
Remus left to bring some food to Harry and Ron. He found them playing chess, happy as could be. "Hungry boys?"  
  
Harry and Ron nodded, followed by a rumble from Ron's stomach. Harry laughed and Ron turned bright red. "Well I guess so," Remus said grinning. He set down the tray on the bedside table. "Dumbledore will be over in about twenty minutes, Harry. He might come up to see you, but I'd appreciate it if you would stay up here."  
  
"Remus, how would I get downstairs if I wanted to?"  
  
"Trust me, Harry, you could find a way." Remus said and then left the room.  
  
"Why's Dumbledore coming over, Harry?" Ron asked curiously through a mouthful of his sandwich.  
  
"Oh, I can't believe I forgot to tell you. We found Wormtail."  
  
Ron nearly choked on his food. "You what?!"  
  
Harry laughed, "We found him last night, actually Remus stepped on him. We're keeping him in a jar for now, until Dumbledore comes and helps Sirius and Remus take it to the next step. Sirius is going to be free!" Harry was so happy about it all, he really couldn't believe he had forgotten to tell Ron.  
  
"Wait a minute. . . Professor Lupin stepped on him?" Ron asked skeptically.  
  
"Yeah, it's really kind of funny, although it wasn't last night."  
  
"You're really kind of lucky you know Harry, everyday gets to be an adventure. You must never get bored."  
  
Harry smiled sadly. "Yeah, every day is an adventure, but I really wish it wasn't. I-I just wish I could have a normal life, you know?"  
  
"Yeah, I know," Ron said. They ate their sandwiches in silence for a while, and then resumed their games of chess.  
  
Downstairs, Remus was pacing around the living room, waiting for Dumbledore to arrive. "What if Sirius was right?" he thought, "What if they don't believe him? What if things go completely opposite of what they think it will?"  
  
Remus was torn from his thoughts when he heard the fire place ringing. "Name please?" he said.  
  
"Albus Dumbledore," said a voice from within the fireplace.  
  
"Enter," Remus replied standing back so Dumbledore could come through.  
  
"Hello Remus, I trust you are well," Dumbledore greeted.  
  
"Yes, Albus, I'm alright, but I have news. Last night Harry, Sirius, and I caught Peter."  
  
Whatever Albus thought the meeting was to be about, it wasn't this. His mouth dropped open, and he just stared at Remus, who nodded with a grin.  
  
"You-you did? But how? Where is he?" Dumbledore said, looking amazed.  
  
Remus grinned. "He's upstairs in a jar in my closet."  
  
"And you're sure it's him?"  
  
"Yes, he's even got that silver hand-paw-that Harry was telling us about."  
  
"Bless my soul. . . May I see him?"  
  
Remus looked pensive for a moment. "I'd rather leave him where he is for now. Sirius is a little sensitive about him, and I think it would be a bad idea to bring him out again until it's absolutely necessary."  
  
Dumbledore nodded, looking at the sleeping Sirius on the couch. "He looks upset, even in sleep. I take it he's not dealing with the capture very well."  
  
"No, he is not. He just had a break down a while ago. I think we need to take action as soon as possible, or Sirius is going to drive himself insane."  
  
"Yes, perhaps I could talk to him?" Dumbledore inquired. Remus nodded his head and walked over to the couch. He sat on the edge and began to shake his friend gently.  
  
"Padfoot," he said gently. "Dumbledore's here, he needs to talk to you, time to wake up."  
  
Sirius didn't move. Remus sighed, "He's the hardest person in the world to wake up."  
  
He started shaking Sirius even harder, "Sirius! Up now! Don't make me resort to the water!"  
  
Dumbledore laughed good-naturedly behind him, "The water?"  
  
Remus turned to him, "Sometimes the only way to wake him is to throw ice water on him. I hate resorting to that, though. It really scares him."  
  
"SIRIUS!" he bellowed directly in his ear. Sirius jumped awake, nearly butting heads with Remus as he did so.  
  
"Shit Remus! You scared the Hell out of me."  
  
"Sorry Padfoot, but I almost had to resort to water, and I know you wouldn't have liked that."  
  
Sirius looked up and saw Dumbledore standing in the background. "Oh, hi Albus, good to see you," Sirius said, trying to slow his heart and breathing down a bit.  
  
Dumbledore laughed at him, "It's nice to see you too, Sirius. Remus has told me you have found Mr. Pettigrew."  
  
Sirius's eyes darkened at the name, he nodded.  
  
"And I trust, that you want to take action against him?"  
  
Sirius nodded his head, but looked a bit unsure of himself.  
  
"Mr. Black?"  
  
Sirius looked down a moment, collecting his thoughts. "I'm afraid, Albus, that turning Wormtail in, and asking for a trial might not work. I may still be sent back to Azkaban, or worse get that kiss that I was supposed to get almost two years ago."  
  
"Indeed, a definite possibility, but I think that it is more likely that the outcome will be good. You see, Sirius, you can not go on like this forever. Eventually, I believe you will be caught. You need to try every way possible to get your name cleared. I will help you with that. Now, I can't stay long, but I will tell you my plan. Today, I will take Wormtail. I will keep him with me until tomorrow," Sirius sighed with relief, and Dumbledore continued, "Tomorrow, I will bring him to the ministry, and show the Minister that Peter Pettigrew is indeed still alive. My hope is that they ministry will give him veritaserum, and question him about everything. We'll see what happens from there. Sirius, I will not take you to the ministry, or disclose your location, until I am certain that the ministry accepts your innocence. However, Wormtail knows that you are here, and I can not prevent him from saying anything. Do you understand?"  
  
Sirius nodded his head apprehensively.  
  
"Right then, Remus, would you please bring me the rat?"  
  
"Of course, Albus." Remus said before heading up the stairs.  
  
"Albus," Sirius began, "what do you think the odds are that I'll get my freedom?"  
  
Dumbledore looked at Sirius calculatingly. "I think the odds are in your favor Sirius, and I will do everything in my power to make sure the outcome is positive. As I'm sure Remus and Harry will do as well."  
  
Sirius nodded his head as Remus came back down the stairs. Sirius turned away when he saw the jar in his friends hands.  
  
Dumbledore took the jar and prepared to leave. "Before I go, how's Harry?"  
  
Sirius broke into a grin and was able to ignore the rat. "He's doing great! He even managed to move his feet this morning. He has Ron over now."  
  
Dumbledore nodded, "The fact that he can move his feet is a very good sign that he will make a full recovery. I will send Poppy over tomorrow to re-examine him, and she should be able to tell you how long it will take for Harry to improve. Now, I bid you good day,"  
  
"Goodbye Albus," Sirius and Remus said simultaneously. With that, he left through the fireplace.  
  
Remus turned to Sirius, "How are you doing?"  
  
Sirius shrugged, "Well, I'm pretty nervous, but I'm glad he's out of here. I'm pretty bored right about now, though. I wish I could get out of this house too. As more than just a dog."  
  
"Soon, Padfoot, you'll be out and about soon. Why don't you go hang out with Harry and Ron though. I'm going to go get some things at Diagon Alley, do you need anything?"  
  
"No, but you might want to pick Harry up some more clothes, you can take some money out of my account for that."  
  
Remus nodded. "I'll be back." He then threw some floo powder into the fireplace and stepped in. He was gone in no time.  
  
Sirius sighed and sat back down on the couch. His fear was beginning to take over. He didn't know what he would do if the turn out was bad. He could get Remus, Dumbledore, and Harry in big trouble, as they knew where he was the whole time. He didn't even want to think of the repercussions, so he took Remus's advice and went upstairs to see what Harry and Ron were up to.  
  
"Sirius, how'd it go?" Harry said when he saw him.  
  
"Dumbledore took Wormtail," he said, shooting a worried glance at Ron, unsure of what he already knew.  
  
"I told him about it," Harry said. Sirius nodded.  
  
"He thinks there's a good chance I'll get my name cleared. . . But enough about this depressing stuff, what are you two doing?"  
  
"Well, we've been playing chess all day so far, getting kind of bored. Any ideas?"  
  
Sirius's eyes lit up, "Ideas! I've got plenty of ideas. What would you prefer. . . pranks on Moony, truth or dare wizard style, or scaring some more scaring squirrels?"  
  
"Sirius, truth or dare is a girl thing," Ron said indignantly.  
  
"No it's not!" Sirius retorted  
  
"Yes it is!" Ron replied  
  
"No it's not!"  
  
"Yeah it is!"  
  
"Harry?" they both said.  
  
Harry laughed and shrugged. "Lets go scare some squirrel's I want to get out of this bed again!"  
  
"Sounds good," Sirius said, "And truth or dare is not a girl thing!"  
  
"Yah, okay Sirius," Ron said sarcastically.  
  
"Shut up you two," Harry said, receiving a glare from both of them. Sirius started tickling Harry again. "Ahhh! Stop! This is so unfair! I can't move!" Sirius stopped tickling, and lifted Harry off the bed, leaving the room, Ron followed close behind. Sirius walked downstairs and set Harry on the couch. "You need shoes!" He went and found the pair Harry had used earlier and slid them on his feet. "You may not be walking, but you just can't go outside without shoes."  
  
Ron and Sirius slid some on their own feet. Sirius picked Harry back up and they walked out the door. He sat Harry down on a lounge on the patio, and Ron took one next to him. "Got your wands boys?"  
  
"It's summer, we aren't allowed to do magic," Ron said.  
  
"You are here, know why?"  
  
Harry and Ron shook their heads. "The wards Dumbledore put up made it so that the ministry couldn't trace who was and wasn't doing magic. Namely so I can do magic."  
  
"Mine's upstairs. Ron? Did you bring yours?" Harry replied.  
  
Ron shook his head, "but I can just watch."  
  
"Nonsense!" Sirius said. "Remus has a few spares, all go get Harry's and one of them." With that, he went back in the house.  
  
"Harry, I know you haven't had the best life, but you're bloody lucky to be living here. You don't even know how much I envy you!"  
  
Harry grinned. "Yeah, I'm so happy that I get to stay here now! It's another world compared to the Dursley's."  
  
Sirius came back out a few minutes later. "Okay boys, the aim here is not to hurt the squirrels, we're just going to have a little fun with them, okay?"  
  
The boys nodded. "Now keep an eye out for one and make sure you only shoot one spell at a time, otherwise you may hurt them."  
  
Sirius was the first to spot a squirrel. He shot a spell at it, and it began to do a little dance. They all roared with laughter. Another squirrel came down to see what the other was doing, and Harry sent a spell at it that made him bounce up and down like a kangaroo. They all laughed yet again. They spent nearly an hour playing with the squirrels. (I hope no animal rights people hate me for writing this!). Ron had one standing on his head, when Remus returned and came outside to see what they were up to.  
  
"What the hell are you guys doing?" He said, shocked.  
  
"Just playing with the squirrel's Moony. It's fun." Sirius replied nonchalantly.  
  
"You really need to grow up Padfoot." He said.  
  
"Watch this Moony," Sirius said, and then made a squirrel do the Macarena. Remus did find it rather amusing to see a squirrel doing the Macarena, but didn't want to show it. He was trying with all his might not to laugh like the others, who were staring at him, knowing full well that he wanted to laugh.  
  
"Come on Moony-I know you think it's funny," Sirius said. Remus shook his head, then allowed himself to grin. Soon he was sitting next to Harry laughing his head off. He even sent a couple spells at the squirrel's.  
  
After a while, playing with the squirrels got old, and it was beginning to get dark.  
  
Before going into the house, Remus said, "Harry, I got something for you when I was in Diagon Alley today. I think it's going to be pretty helpful for you."  
  
Harry looked up bewildered, "What is it?"  
  
"Let me show you," he responded, picking Harry up and carrying him inside. He brought him into the living room where a large cardboard box sat. He gently put Harry on the couch and went over to open the box. He pulled out a large metal chair. "What exactly is it?" Harry asked politely.  
  
"It's a wizard wheel chair. Just till you're on your feet again. I know how much you hate being carried around, so I thought I'd get you one of these. It's magic powered, and can go up stairs, anywhere you want to go. You'll be able to get out of bed yourself now, and do everything." Remus said, smiling.  
  
Harry looked at Remus in awe. "Thank you so much! I can't believe you got me this-- thanks." Harry was almost crying with joy. Not really over the wheelchair, but over how thoughtful of Remus it was to get him it. Remus walked over and gave Harry a hug.  
  
"You're welcome Harry," Remus said, "But let's just hope you don't need it at Hogwarts."  
  
Harry nodded seriously. Remus asked, "Do you want to take it for a spin Harry?"  
  
"Yeah!" Harry replied exuberantly. Remus pushed the chair towards him.  
  
"Okay, we're going to test your strength a bit here okay?" Harry nodded. "First, before you ever try to get in this thing, make sure that the wheels are locked. . ." Remus went on for a while about safety in the wheelchair, thoroughly boring everyone else in the room.  
  
Finally, Remus started telling him exactly what to do. Harry followed Remus's instructions to the mark and easily got himself into the chair. "Well done, Harry, I don't think strength is going to be a problem here," Remus said.  
  
"Now, see those buttons on the arm rest? They're pretty easy to figure out. Move yourself towards the stairs, and we'll try to figure out how to get you up there. Harry smoothly brought himself to the foot of the stairs. He looked down at the buttons on the arm rest trying to figure out which one would move him up the stairs. Quickly he found one and was cruising up the stairs. The others gathered at the foot of the stairs, watching him. He turned at the top and found the button to bring him down. He was grinning the whole way. "Do you like it Harry?" Remus asked.  
  
"I love it, thank you so much Remus," Harry said ecstatically.  
  
"Don't just thank me, Sirius paid half, he just couldn't come with me." Harry grinned at his godfather, who beamed back. Anything that made Harry happy made Sirius just as happy, if not more.  
  
"And that's not all," Sirius said, sounding like a game show host. "Moony has also purchased bars, to go in the bathroom, so you'll be able to bathe, and whatever else, with the utmost privacy." He winked as he said this. "And. . . The most fashionable clothes in all of Diagon Alley!"  
  
For a few minutes, Harry sat in his wheelchair, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water. Finally recovering he said, "Thanks so much, you guys are the best!"  
  
With that, Sirius bent down and gave Harry a big hug, murmuring, "I love you Harry."  
  
"Love you too, Sirius," Harry replied.  
  
Remus then bent down and gave Harry an equally big hug and also told Harry that he loved him.  
  
"Love you too, Remus."  
  
Ron was standing around looking thoroughly choked up Harry grinned at him, trying hard not to laugh. "Love you too, Ron," Harry said.  
  
Ron blushed, he clearly didn't feel completely comfortable with having his best friend tell him he loved him. But the feeling was mutual. He stepped up to Harry, gave him a man hug and said, "I love you man."  
  
Harry grinned. "Think Hermione loves us?"  
  
Ron blushed ten times redder. "I d-don't know."  
  
Harry laughed, "How could she not?"  
  
Ron just shrugged.  
  
They all went back into the living room and sat around. Talking about light topics for a while. They decided to turn on the television for a bit, as Ron had never seen one before. They were all having a really good time when seven o'clock came around.  
  
"What do you say Ron, want to spend the night?" Remus asked.  
  
Ron looked around at Harry, then back to Remus, "If you all don't mind, I'd love to."  
  
"I'd love that, maybe Sirius will stay away from me with you here," Harry said smirking. Sirius blushed crimson.  
  
"I swear I don't mean to! I don't even realize I do it. And it is my bed you know! I'm just attached to it!"  
  
"Sure you are Sirius," Remus smirked. "I'm going to tell Ron's parents via the head thing." He stepped up to the fireplace and took out a different kind of powder. He Threw it in and stepped inside. Only this time he stayed where he was.  
  
"Hello Molly, how are you?" they heard Remus say.  
  
They didn't hear the response, but Remus obviously did. "I'm well, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind me keeping your son until tomorrow afternoon. We're having a good time, and I think we'd all be sad to see him go." Ron blushed at hearing this, even though he was quite sure that Remus was just milking it.  
  
"Good, good. Oh yeah, he probably will need some clean clothes, do you want me to send him back to get some. . . No. . . Okay, well there are certain wards up here, so it won't be like normal floo, but you'll figure it out." With that, Remus stepped out of the fireplace. He turned to Ron and said, "You're mother will be here shortly with some of your things."  
  
"Wonderful," Ron muttered. He was quite worried that she was going to do some serious embarrassing.  
  
Nearly 10 minutes later the fireplace began to ring. "Name please," Remus said dully.  
  
"Molly Weasley," she said.  
  
"Enter," Remus called and waited for her to come through.  
  
First thing she did was walk over to Ron and give him a big hug. "Did you have a good time Ronald?"  
  
"Mum, please, I've been gone five hours tops, I'm not 7 anymore, okay?"  
  
"Oh nonsense, Ron you're never to old to be mothered."  
  
She then turned her sights to Harry in his wheelchair.  
  
"Oh, Harry! You poor dear! What have those awful people done to you?" She asked, completely shocked to see him in a wheelchair. Harry had been surprised that word of his paralysis hadn't spread throughout the wizarding world.  
  
"I'm fine Mrs. Weasley, really. The Dursley's hurt me pretty bad, but I never have to worry about them again. So, I'm fine."  
  
"Well, Harry I'm glad. Now, I must be off. Ronald, I have clean clothes and a toothbrush in hear for you. Use them." Ron blushed at this. He did NOT need to be told to use clean clothes and a toothbrush. He couldn't wait for her to leave.  
  
"Tomorrow, Fred and George would like to personally pick up Ron, if that's okay with you. . . They seem eager to see Harry, why though, I don't know."  
  
"It'll be fine for them to come get him, just make sure they know how this is going to work. And tell them not to play around with our fireplace, okay?" Remus replied.  
  
"Of course Remus, they'll be over around 3:00 if that's alright with you."  
  
"Sounds good, Molly, take care."  
  
"Same to you all. And Ronald Weasley, you be good!"  
  
With that, she left through the fireplace. Ron was muttering under his breath. Sirius couldn't help himself. He put on a high pitched voice and started going off about clean clothes and brushing his teeth. Ron play punched him, clearly embarrassed by his mother in every way possible.  
  
"What shall we do now?" Harry asked.  
  
"Movie?" Sirius suggested.  
  
"Which one?" Remus said.  
  
"What's a movie?" Ron asked innocently. Harry laughed and tried to explain what a movie was.  
  
When all else failed, he said, "It's like a really long television show."  
  
"Oh," Ron said.  
  
"Lets watch Notting Hill," Sirius suggested. Harry laughed into his hand.  
  
"And what is your problem, Mr. Potter?"  
  
"Notting Hill is a total chick flick," Harry responded. Remus laughed.  
  
"He has a point their Padfoot." Remus shot in, Sirius glared at him. "Lets just watch Con-Air again," he suggested.  
  
"Alright," Sirius agreed.  
  
Remus got up and put Con-Air in. Harry lay sprawled on the couch, his head in Sirius's lap. Remus was in a recliner near the fireplace, and Ron was sprawled on the floor on his stomach, intrigued by Con-Air. Not only was the movie the coolest thing he ever saw, but he was also learning a lot about the muggle world. Airplanes, guns, telephones, and muggle jails.  
  
When the movie ended, everyone was exhausted.  
  
"I'm going to sleep down here tonight," Sirius yawned, standing and stretching. He went to a closet and pulled out a blanket and pillow. Harry pulled himself into his chair and said goodnight to Remus and Sirius, as did Ron, before they went upstairs.  
  
Before heading up himself, Remus said to Sirius, "You going to be okay?"  
  
Sirius looked at him intensely and nodded his head.  
  
"It's going to be a big day tomorrow."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Are you worried?"  
  
Sirius bit his lip and nodded.  
  
"Don't worry too much, okay, Sir?" Remus said, throwing an arm over his tense shoulder comfortingly.  
  
"I'll try not to," Sirius replied.  
  
"'Night, Padfoot."  
  
"'Night, Moony," Sirius said, watching his friend climb the stairs. He threw the blanket over himself and lay back on the couch, a million 'what ifs' going through his head.  
  
Upstairs, Harry and Ron had just gotten into bed as well.  
  
"Harry, do you think Sirius will be okay?"  
  
Harry looked at Ron and sighed, "I hope so. If he's not, I don't know what I'll do. Remus will still be around, but he can't be there like Sirius can, you know?"  
  
Ron nodded. "Well, you can always stay at my house, everyone likes you in my family."  
  
Harry grinned, "Thanks." Deep down, though, he didn't want to have to stay with Ron. He wanted his own family, not somebody else's.  
  
Harry yawned, "Goodnight, Ron."  
  
"'Night Harry."  
  
About three hours later, Ron awoke to hear Harry yelling in his sleep. "NO!! No, he's innocent. No, don't do it!"  
  
Ron got up and walked over to Harry's side. He gently shook him, saying, "Harry, wake up! You're having a nightmare." This had happened several times at Hogwarts, but never had Harry looked as scared as he did just then. Even after Ron tried to wake him, Harry yelled. "No, please! I need him, don't send him back."  
  
"Harry. . . Harry!. . . HARRY!" Ron yelled, shaking him harder. Harry woke with a start and sat straight up in his bed. He was gasping for air, and flailing his arms, like he was drowning. Ron grabbed hold of Harry's arms and tried to make him stay still. Harry finally snapped out of it. He stopped moving and tried to breath regularly.  
  
"You okay, mate?" Ron asked tentatively.  
  
Harry shook his head, no.  
  
"What was it?" he asked.  
  
Harry breathed deeply. "Sirius isn't going to get his freedom. . . They're going to send him back to Azkaban."  
  
"No, Harry that was just a dream." Ron said comfortingly.  
  
"No Ron, it was so real. . . And everything that happened is just like the ministry. Wormtail told them that he hid all those years so that Sirius wouldn't come out and get him. Said that he was so scared after Sirius had killed all those muggles, that he couldn't bring himself to go back into society. And the ministry believed him Ron. You know he'll use that defense! He tried it on us. . . And the ministry people are so thick, that they'll listen to him, I know it!"  
  
"Harry, no. Dumbledore will be there, and so will Lupin. They'll make sure that Sirius makes it out alright. It's going to be okay."  
  
Harry just shook his head. Ron sighed, "Do you want me to go get Sirius?"  
  
Harry gave Ron an indecisive look, but then nodded his head, "Good luck waking him, though."  
  
Ron hopped up and walked out of the room. He stepped soundlessly down the stairs and peered at the couch through the darkness. "Sirius. . ." he whispered.  
  
Sirius jumped up, Ron had just scared the hell out of him. "Oh my God! What are you doing up?"  
  
"Sorry, umm. . . Harry just had a pretty bad nightmare. . .about you, and he wants to talk to you. Were you already up?"  
  
"Yeah, couldn't sleep," Sirius said, standing up. Truth was, he couldn't sleep because he was too worried about what tomorrow would bring; he needed a distraction.  
  
"Why don't you stay down here for a while, Ron, while I talk to Harry. Want me to try and turn the television on?"  
  
Ron shrugged, then nodded.  
  
Sirius walked over to the television and pressed the on button. The screen sprung to life, and Sirius said, "Nice, I'm getting good at this. I don't know how to change it though, so you're going to have to watch this. It was an infomercial for a wonder-mop. Ron shrugged, and made himself comfortable on Sirius's makeshift bed.  
  
Sirius ran up the stairs to talk to Harry. He found his godson sitting pensively on his bed, biting his lip. "What's eating you, Harry?"  
  
Harry jumped at being addressed, then sighed. "I just dreamt about what's going to happen with Wormtail. . . And the outcome wasn't very good. I'm really worried Sirius."  
  
Sirius sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. He walked over and sat down next to Harry, wrapping his arm around him. "I'm worried about it too, Harry."  
  
"What happened in the dream?" he asked  
  
Harry told him and he sighed again, deeper this time. "Yeah, that could happen. . .but we just need to hope it doesn't. Your guess is as good as mine as to what's going to happen tomorrow. I'll tell you this though, I'm going to try anything I can think of to win that trial. . .if I get one. Dumbledore and Moony are going to help me. . .what will come will come."  
  
Harry looked down. "This really sucks."  
  
Sirius smiled sadly, "Yeah it does."  
  
"I finally have what I want, and now I might just lose it all," Harry muttered, his voice cracking. "I'm so scared."  
  
Sirius pulled Harry into a hug. "Me too, Harry, me too." Sirius felt Harry begin to cry, and hugged him tighter. He soon started to cry as well. He buried his face in Harry's hair and just rocked him back and forth like he was a small child. "I'm sorry Harry."  
  
Harry pulled back a little, "Why?"  
  
"I've put you through so much. I mean it's my fault you never had your parents, and it's my fault that you had to live with the Dursley's. Then I finally get you here, and I might have to leave you again. I'm so sorry," he was sobbing now.  
  
Harry started crying harder as well. "No, Sirius it's not your fault. It's Wormtail's fault. . . all of it. Don't be sorry."  
  
"But it is my fault, Harry," he muttered. Harry shook his head, but couldn't speak anymore. "I promise you Harry, I'll never leave you again. . . If they try to lock me up again. . . I'll escape, I'm not going to let anyone hurt you anymore!"  
  
Harry nodded, and clung to Sirius even tighter. "I love you Sirius. . . Thank you so much. . .for everything."  
  
"I love you too, Harry." Downstairs Ron had fallen asleep, a good thing because Harry and Sirius fell asleep as well, both forgetting their worries for a while, taking comfort in that they had each other.  
  
  
  
A/N: Kind of a dull end, huh? Well please review anyway. And I would like to remind everyone that this is not, nor will it ever be a slash story! I know it often looks like it may be going that way. This is my second day home sick, so I'm getting a lot done on this story. Perhaps if I have pneumonia (I'll see tomorrow) I'll get two more chapters out by the end of the week. . . OH the perks of being sick. . .BTW, I'd really like more reviews, good or bad, tell me what you think!  
  
Next Chapter you can expect to see some twins! Madam Pomfrey! And much much more! 


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Here we go again...I meant to get this up much sooner, but I had no free time this weekend until now! I hope you all like this chapter, some of it was fun to write, and other parts just got me tired!  
  
Gil-Caleb: Who doesn't want to see Pettigrew get a kiss? He deserves one, that's for sure, I haven't decided yet what his fate will be, you'll see eventually, I'm going to have to make some decisions for the next chapter! This chapter should show them all getting a bit of relief, until the end, but at the end of the story I assure you everything will calm down a lot! I'm sorry if I end up having Harry start walking too soon, he will someday, I've decided, but how soon isn't yet for sure...I don't think I'll be able to make you totally happy on that one, but I'll try! Thanks for reviewing.  
  
A.Dee: I try to make it a little British, but the only thing I know about British stuff is what I read in HP! I'm glad you don't mind though. I also am trying to balance the humor, sappyness, and angst, I hope I'm doing a good job with that. Thanks for the review/reviews!  
  
Ella: I'm gonna have to call you squirrel girl! Where do you live, I thought I lived in squirrelville, but never have I seen 19 in one day, even when I spend the day outside! And you'll see what Harry's dream means! I'll try to keep working some squirrels in to keep you involved!  
  
Black Moon: Thanks for the review, although you did it three times! How exactly did you manage that? Anyway I'm glad you like my story so much, thanks!  
  
Padfoot1979: I hope this is enough Fred and George for ya...there's a prank, but I'm not much of a prankster so its not very good. I hope I don't let you down. I'm really surprised by all the positive responses on the squirrels, I was afraid I was overdoing them!  
  
Phoenix Feather: Well, I'm kind of a slacker with the email, did you ever get any? I did try to send one, but I didn't for chapter 10...I'll try again for this chapter! Now, as an avid Sirius fan, I promise not to let anything SERIOUS happen to him, but I may have to put him up for danger every now and then!  
  
Elizabeth Bathory: I'm glad my fics one of your favs! I'll add you to the list, but I might get lazy sometimes and forget to send an alert! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Maryanne: Don't you hate when computers malfunction...there's nothing worse! Trust me, I'm getting sick of Harry not being able to walk too, I had to re-write part of this chapter cuz I had him walking through a room! Not good. I am feeling much better thanks, I'm on amoxacillan (sp?) and it's helping a lot! And, it's not that I like being sick, it just gives me much needed free time, being a Senior sucks! Keep reviewing, btw I read your story and liked it, so you keep working on yours and I'll keep working on mine!  
  
  
  
Katie: I don't think that was shameless at all, it is pretty weird that we both had wheel chairs though, I swear I did not copy. And I'm not gonna read your story cuz you're not going to finish it...if you were, I'd read it in a heart beat! Now, I must say I don't like any of the pairs I read about in most fanfics...All of them tend to disgust me, I think we're gonna need to see some new characters for romances...there probably won't be any in my story, at least not for the kids, maybe Sirius or Remus will get someone. Now, I promise not to write a Mary Sue, if I write an OC it'll be someone completely unlike myself, I promise!  
  
John: LOL, you're review made me laugh, I'm really glad you like my story so much...I too am a fan of Sirius the hero fics, I just get so happy for both of them, it's great!  
  
  
  
The next morning, Harry was the first one up. He blinked and tried to roll over a little, but found that he was trapped. He looked around surprised, to see Sirius practically sleeping on top of him, hugging him like he was a teddy bear. The previous night rushed back all at once. Harry grinned, hoping that Sirius could keep his promise, and never leave him again.  
  
"Sirius," Harry said, poking Sirius's side with his elbow. "Wake up! I need to get out of bed!"  
  
Sirius didn't budge. Harry glanced at the clock by the bed, it was nearly 10:00. He couldn't believe that Remus and Ron had slept that late. Come to think of it, Harry had no idea where Ron had ended up. Again, he tried to wake Sirius, so he could get some answers, but he couldn't make him budge.  
  
He switched instead to a new approach, "Remus! You up?"  
  
He heard Remus come up the stairs and watched as he entered the room. He broke into a wide grin when he saw the two of them. "So I take it he couldn't stay away?"  
  
Harry nodded, "But it's kind of my fault."  
  
Remus replied, "I know Ron told me about it. So you want me to free you?"  
  
"Yes Please!" he said, nodding vigorously.  
  
"Plug your ears," he warned. Harry obeyed.  
  
"SIRIUS!" he bellowed.  
  
Sirius didn't flinch. Remus tried again, but it was hopeless.  
  
"Let's just let him sleep. . . I'll try to pry you free so you can get up and get ready."  
  
Remus pulled one of Sirius's arms out from underneath Harry's back and threw it aside. He then did the same with the other. Next, he rolled Sirius onto his side so that Harry was completely Sirius free.  
  
"I know I was going to have you get out of bed yourself now, but that's just not going to happen with him here," he said, before bending over Sirius and lifting Harry up. He sat Harry down in the wheelchair next to his bed and backed up a bit.  
  
"Your new clothes are in the second drawer of that bureau. . . I installed the bars in the bathroom, so you should be all set there. Just yell if you need anything, okay Harry?"  
  
Harry nodded, "Thanks Remus."  
  
Remus smiled, "Anytime.'  
  
Harry watched Remus leave the room and then moved over to the bureau. He pulled out the drawer, and found piles of clothes. He had jeans, khakis, t-shirts, sweaters, dress shirts, boxers, and socks. All brand new, and all he would ever need. Harry pulled out a pair of boxers, jeans and a sweater and piled them on his lap. He then rolled himself to the bathroom, where he filled the bathtub, and then easily got in and cleaned himself, thinking, "God I wish I could actually take a shower!" He had no problem doing everything by himself, until he tried to put on his jeans. The boxers were no problem, but he couldn't seem to get the jeans on his legs. Harry sighed glumly. He had come so far and now had to give up. Harry threw on the sweater and then called for Remus.  
  
Remus was there within minutes.  
  
Harry turned red and then mumbled, "I can't get the jeans on."  
  
Remus smiled patiently at Harry. "Well that's understandable, good job with the rest though. You're doing well Harry. Let's try to find a way for you to do it yourself though, shall we?"  
  
Harry nodded enthusiastically. He definitely would prefer to put his pants on by himself. Remus stood back, evaluating the situation, Harry was sitting in his chair, with his pants bundled in his lap. "Lets see," he said, biting his lip. "Why don't you put each leg in. . .and then pull yourself up on the bar."  
  
Harry quickly put each leg in its respective hole, he had already tried that of course. He then set his feet firmly on the floor and reached for the bar. Grabbing it tightly, he pulled himself up. With both hands holding tightly to the bar, Harry was able to stand.  
  
"Do you think you can hold on with only one hand, Harry?"  
  
Harry shrugged, "I'll try it. . ." he said tentatively.  
  
Holding one hand tightly in place, Harry took one hand off the bar. He tried to bend down slightly, but ended up slipping. He almost fell face first into the wall, but Remus hurriedly reached out to catch him.  
  
"Well that's obviously not going to work," Remus stated, setting Harry back in his chair. "I can't think of another way for you to do it, unless you somehow get them on while you're sitting. . .did you try that?"  
  
Harry nodded, "They bunch too much when I do it like that."  
  
"Okay, well I suppose you'd prefer if you were the one pulling them up. . .stand again." Harry obeyed. Remus held him firmly around the waist and said, "Bend down and pull 'em up." Harry did, and it worked. Yet, he really wasn't satisfied. He had wanted to find away that he could do it himself. Remus could tell that Harry wasn't pleased with himself.  
  
"You know what we can try tomorrow, Harry? Maybe you can get them on if you lay down. . .you can try it on your bed, just go back to your room wearing just the shorts, sound good?"  
  
Harry shrugged, "Better than nothing."  
  
Remus grinned, "I'm going to go downstairs, breakfast is almost ready, hurry down."  
  
Harry nodded and waited for Remus to leave. Once alone again, Harry brushed his teeth and then tried to tame his hair. For a few seconds he had managed to make it look nice, but after a minute it sprung back up again. He sighed and then rolled himself out of the bathroom and down the stairs, where Ron and Remus were sitting at the table. Harry rolled himself up.  
  
"Morning, Harry," Ron said through a mouthful of eggs.  
  
Harry grinned and replied, "Morning, sorry about last night."  
  
"No problem. . .I like that couch a lot! And that thing about the mop put me right to sleep."  
  
Harry gave him a quizzical look, "What mop?"  
  
"What did Sirius call it. . .an informamercial? Something like that."  
  
Harry laughed, "An infomercial?"  
  
"Yeah that's it, it was the most boring thing I had ever seen! I'd of rather sat in potions with Snape!"  
  
"I'd take the mop any day," Harry responded.  
  
Remus laughed at this, but stopped quickly when he heard a loud sound from upstairs. "What the hell?"  
  
He left the room quickly, Harry and Ron heard him climb the stairs. They looked at each other for a moment, and then at the ceiling when they heard a burst of laughter.  
  
"What do you reckon is going on?" Ron asked.  
  
"Beats me, lets go see," Harry replied eagerly. They were quickly up the stairs, peering down the hall. They heard movement in the room Harry was using so they went to see what was going on. When they reached the doorway, they first saw Remus bent over something on the floor, occasionally laughing slightly. When he heard them enter, he grinned and moved slightly so they could see what had happened. It appeared that Sirius had fallen out of bed, and not woken up because of it. Harry and Ron broke into identical grins and watched as Remus tried to get his friend off the floor. "Ron, help me," Remus said, grabbing hold of one arm. Ron walked over and grabbed the other. The two managed to get Sirius's torso onto the bed, but couldn't get him back on all the way. As he began to slide off the edge, he suddenly woke up, and with a strangled yell he fell straight to the floor. He hit the ground, still yelling, until he heard everyone break into fits of laughter. He looked around bewildered, hair tousled worse than Harry's. "What the HELL are you doing?"  
  
Remus tried to stop laughing to explain, "You fell off the bed-tried to help you back up-didn't work too well!" That was all Remus could say. Ron was rolling on the floor, clutching his stomach he was laughing so hard, and Harry was bent over in his chair. Sirius glared at them all, but then realized the situation. He had to admit, it was pretty funny. Soon he started laughing as well. That was the good thing about Sirius, he knew how to laugh at himself. "What, Harry, did you push me off?" he asked indignantly, but with a twinkle in his eyes.  
  
Harry would have thought up a quick remark, but was still laughing so hard at seeing Sirius scream that he couldn't respond. "It's not that funny guys!" he said.  
  
Ron, tried to stop for a moment and sat up, "You should have seen your face-and heard you scream! It was so-funny!"  
  
Sirius reached up to the bed and pulled off a pillow which he smacked Ron with. The only result of this was Ron laughing harder and rolling back onto the floor. Soon everyone had a pillow, and they were chaotically smashing each other with them. Feathers were flying around the room. It was a great tension reliever for all of them, after the previous night. It calmed nervous thoughts of trials and sentences. However, all good things must come to an end, so the pillow fight ended with the sound of the fireplace.  
  
Harry groaned when he heard it, "Madam Pomfrey," he said.  
  
"I'll get her, Sirius, can you try cleaning up the feathers? Don't let them help, she can't see the boys with wands!"  
  
Sirius nodded and with a few swishes of the wand the feathers vanished. Harry tried to cool his nerves, and Ron tried to calm his laughter. Sirius couldn't help himself, however, and batted Ron with the pillow one more time, sending a few feathers flying, and shooting Ron into another fit of laughter.  
  
When they heard movement at the stairs, however, they calmed down for good. Sirius sat down at the edge of the bed, in pajamas, but not caring. Ron went and sat on the windowsill, and Harry moved his chair to and fro nervously. Today was like a trial for him. One not as dire as the one Sirius would soon be facing, but important none the less. Harry was going to learn once and for all whether or not he would be walking again.  
  
As Madam Pomfrey stepped into the room, the tension grew thick. Harry sat nervously in his chair, and Ron lost all traces of a grin. He prayed with all his might that Harry would get better. Truth was, Harry was a lot less fun when he couldn't move, not that Ron would have minded too much, but all the same.  
  
"So Mr. I'm-always-hurt, Albus tells me you were able to move your toes?"  
  
"Yeah," Harry replied nervously, "Twice."  
  
"That's very good. Can you show me?" she asked kindly.  
  
Harry looked down at his toes, and willed them to move. Everyone was watching him, adding to his anxiety. Harry was beginning to sweat as he focused all of his energy on moving his feet. He could not move them however."  
  
Harry stopped trying when he heard someone stand up. He looked up to see Sirius walking towards him. He knelt in front of Harry's chair, "You can do it Harry, just focus, don't worry about anything, just make those toes move, I know you can do it."  
  
Harry nodded his head in determination, and looked back down at his feet. He again set all his energy on wiggling just one toe. He gave up and took a deep breath before trying again. This time, he made his big toe move in a small circle. He looked into Sirius's face to see a proud grin staring back. "Told ya," he replied excitedly. "Think you can do more?"  
  
Harry shrugged and tried. This time, he managed to move his right foot up and down a little on the foot rest. "Excellent, Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey crowed, looking amazed. Even from a tough guy like you I didn't expect to see such progress. I think we can expect a very speedy recovery from you. You should be on your feet again by the start of term. Now I beg you, do not come too dependent on this chair."  
  
Harry grinned broadly, ecstatic about the news. He looked at everyone else in the room to see that they were just as happy, Sirius the most. Harry saw a faint trace of tears in his godfather's eyes. Sirius stood and gave Harry a hug, whispering, "I knew you had it in you, I knew it."  
  
After they broke a part Madam Pomfrey went back from being amazed to annoying overprotective nurse. "I'm going to put you on a strict regiment Potter. Everyday you will need to do certain exercises, and experiments. I'll show you them momentarily. Aside from that, I want to see that you are eating better. You will put on at least fifteen pounds by September 1, or I'll see to it that you never leave my sight while you are at school, understood?"  
  
Harry nodded grimly. Madam Pomfrey could really scare him at times with her intensity.  
  
Madam Pomfrey then went on to show Harry his daily exercises. They were fairly easy, and Harry was eager to try them out and see the results. Despite the wonderful news she had everyone was happy to see her go, they all thought she took her job to the extreme, and especially for Harry, it was scary sometimes.  
  
After she left, Remus, Ron and Harry finished their breakfast while Sirius showered and got dressed. He ate ALL of the leftovers, which could have lasted Harry the rest of the day. It was nearly 11:30 by the time he finished and Remus cleaned everything up.  
  
"Well," Sirius said, "Ron leaves in about three hours, and we should be hearing from Dumbledore by five. . .what shall we do until the time comes?" Everyone was aware that once Ron left, the mood around the Lupin Loft would be much heavier, so they wanted to make the best of the next few hours.  
  
"Well, it's not too nice out, so I think we're going to have to stay in here," Remus replied. They all looked out the window. The sky was gray, like it was going to rain any second, but just never seemed to. Trees were swaying hard with the wind, which howled against the house every now and then. It was the kind of day that could give you the chills even though you were inside, as it did for Ron, who shook slightly as he looked out the window.  
  
"Can we watch more of the television?" Ron asked, looking away from the window.  
  
Harry nodded in agreement. He didn't feel like doing anything too crazy that day. They made their way into the living room and sat in much the same way as they had done the previous night. "You want to watch a show, or a movie?"  
  
"Movie," they all replied.  
  
"Lets do something funny this time though,"  
  
"Austin Powers?!" Sirius asked excitedly. "Yeah baby!"  
  
Harry nodded enthusiastically. Dudley had been allowed to see Austin Powers International Man of Mystery, the previous summer, but Harry was not allowed to attend.  
  
"Fine," Remus said, "Ron you're in for a real treat." Remus said this sarcastically. While he thought the movie was amusing, he never got into it nearly as much as Sirius.  
  
Ron and Harry were both lying on the floor watching the film, and they rarely stopped laughing. Ron almost passed out he was laughing so hard when Austin was attacking one of Dr. Evil's men in the bathroom.  
  
"Who does number two work for?" Ron repeated after it was said. He could barely get it out though, he was laughing so hard. Tears of mirth were streaming down his face. Harry, Sirius, and Remus were laughing insanely too, but not at the movie. The only thing that was really keeping them entertained was Ron's reactions to everything.  
  
When the movie ended everyone's stomach's hurt from laughing so hard. "Can we watch that again?" Ron asked eagerly.  
  
Harry laughed, "I don't think my stomach could handle that. . .isn't their another one coming out soon?"  
  
Sirius nodded, "Yeah, it's called The Spy who Shagged me."  
  
"I have got to see that!" Ron said  
  
"Well you can't yet."  
  
"Do you have any more funny movies?"  
  
"Yeah, but since we had to rewind so many parts so that you could see them again we don't have time to watch one," Remus replied cheekily.  
  
"Sorry, it was just so funny!"  
  
"Can we at least watch a little of one,"  
  
"Yeah, come on, please?" Harry chimed, he was getting a real kick out of seeing Ron watch these movies.  
  
"Fine by me," Sirius replied, he was loving it just like Harry.  
  
Remus sighed, "Fine, which one Sirius?"  
  
"Uh. . .American Pie?"  
  
"No, that's not happening."  
  
"Why it's funny?"  
  
"It's rated R. . .or your copy is x isn't it?"  
  
"So what they can handle it,"  
  
"No Sirius, they're not watching that,"  
  
"Fine, how about Ferris Bueller?"  
  
"I don't know if they'll like that, but okay."  
  
"What do you mean they won't like that, it's a classic!"  
  
"You know some people don't like that...James didn't."  
  
"I think with Ron here, anyone will like this movie."  
  
Ron grinned at this.  
  
"Now, it's not as funny as Austin Powers, but it's really good nevertheless."  
  
The boys nodded as Remus got up and dug the movie out. He popped it in, and they began watching Ferris Bueller.  
  
About fifteen minutes into the movie, Ron, fascinated, said, "That's a muggle school? I want to go to one of those."  
  
"Trust me Ron, you don't."  
  
When three o'clock came around, they were still watching the movie, and the twins were late. Sirius and Remus shrugged and continued watching the movie. At around 3:15, the bell to the fireplace went off. Ron groaned it was an intense part, Principal Rooney was going into Ferris's house.  
  
Remus got up, and did the fireplace drill, soon Fred came flying through the fireplace, a few moments later, George followed.  
  
The second they stepped into the house, their identical eyes were glued to the screen. They happened to walk in just in time to see Ferris's sister kick the crap out of Rooney. Ron started laughing first, and then Fred and George followed. Soon the entire room was in an uproar. "What the bloody hell is this?" Fred asked when he was done laughing.  
  
"It's called a movie Fred," Ron said acting like a now-it-all, though he himself hadn't known the previous night.  
  
"What's a movie?" George asked.  
  
Harry groaned and tried to explain it like he did to Ron.  
  
Fred and George looked like they didn't understand, but they both nodded their heads anyway.  
  
"Well, Ronnykins, get ready to go, we need to talk to Harry, and then need to get back."  
  
"All my stuffs upstairs," Ron whined, not wanting to leave the movie.  
  
"So get it!" Fred said testily. Harry had noted that the twins were both acting far more serious than he had ever seen them.  
  
Ron looked rather frightened of them for a moment before he grudgingly got up and went towards the stairs.  
  
"Professor Lupin..." Fred began.  
  
"And Sirius Black, Mum tells me you're innocent, congrats on escaping by the way..." George continued seriously.  
  
"Would you two mind if we had a word a lone with young Harry here?" Harry looked bewildered, and slightly worried.  
  
Sirius eyeballed them suspiciously, but left the room any how. Remus soon followed, knowing full well that they were plotting to do something. Harry rolled onto his back and pushed himself into a sitting position on the floor. "What do you two want?"  
  
"Well first, we'd like to say thanks for the money. We've invented fifteen prototypes already, and are working on a few more," George said.  
  
"We've already had a few offers on some of them," Fred added.  
  
"You'll be reimbursed some day, I can assure you of that." George said.  
  
"Second," Fred said as he and George walked over and sat on either side of Harry. Fred leaned closer to him, and whispered, "We're gonna play a joke on Ron, but we need your help, just play a long okay?"  
  
"We're just going to get him really worried, see? We've already acted like bossy jerks, and all serious you know? And I think he's already a bit scared."  
  
"At home, when he comes out of the fireplace, we're going to tell him that Ginny's really sick. You know he acts like he doesn't like her, but he's SO protective of the girl, you'd think he was her father!"  
  
"So when he goes to check on her, he'll be met with a load of Filibuster's, which should do well to scare the bloody hell out of him."  
  
Harry grinned. He too had seen that although he finds her annoying at times, Ron cared A LOT about Ginny. "So what do you want me to do."  
  
"Just act worried when he comes back down. Like we've already told you something's wrong. Sorry you won't be able to see the outcome though, it's going to be brilliant!"  
  
Harry thought for a minute, "You should really get Sirius and Remus involved in this, they used to be the biggest pranksters, along with my dad."  
  
Fred and George looked skeptical.  
  
Harry laughed, "Trust me they can help."  
  
Fred and George exchanged a look. "Well, they're probably amateurs compared to us, but we'll give it a shot," Fred said finally.  
  
"Where are they," George asked.  
  
"Kitchen, right through there." Harry replied pointing. George walked to the doorway and beckoned them back in.  
  
Harry decided he should be the one to get them involved. "Fred and George are playing a prank on Ron, I though you two could help."  
  
Sirius look changed from curiosity to glee when he heard that. "A prank! Moony, we haven't done any pranks in so long! What are you guys doing?"  
  
Fred and George looked amazed. Fred whispered to George, "Did he just say Moony?"  
  
Harry didn't hear Fred, and went on to describe the prank to Remus and Sirius. "You mean we don't even get to see the end result?" Sirius asked disappointed.  
  
"No, but I'm sure Ron will tell me about it later on."  
  
"Lets do it Moony," Sirius said, Remus nodded his head in agreement.  
  
"Ummm...Padfoot, you look like Mr. Caring, okay? Since I know Ginny, I'll look worried, we can tell him some of that, we'll always be here for you stuff, etc...sound good boys?"  
  
Fred and George didn't hear anything that came after Padfoot. They looked suspiciously at Harry, "Why do they keep saying Moony and Padfoot?"  
  
Harry laughed, he had forgotten to tell them about that. "Fred, George, I'd like you to meet Moony and Padfoot."  
  
Their identical mouths both dropped wide open. "But...teacher...no way!"  
  
"Marauders... ...!"  
  
Remus and Sirius laughed. "Yeah, we're the marauders, or at least what's left," Sirius replied slightly sadly. "Wait, how do you know who we are?"  
  
"We found your map in Filch's cabinet. Found it pretty useful for our troublemaking. Then we gave it to Harry here so he could go to Hogsmead even though those blasted muggles hadn't signed his form." George explained. "Handy map that is."  
  
Sirius nodded, "It was James idea to make that, he always had the ideas to make things easier, that invisibility cloak of his helped a lot too. I was the one who thought of all the pranks, and Moony here always thought of the best way to execute them without getting in trouble. Wormtail just tagged a long."  
  
Everyone, including the twins turned angry at the thought of Wormtail. Fred and George obviously had been told what Peter had done, and were clever enough to put it all together that Peter was Wormtail. In an attempt to lighten the mood, Fred decided to go back to the plan. He told Remus and Sirius exactly what they had to do, which was precisely what Remus had already suggested.  
  
They all turned when they heard Ron begin to clunk down the stairs.  
  
"Remember the plan," Fred whispered. They all immediately put on slightly worried faces.  
  
When Ron reached the bottom of the stairs, he looked at everyone and stopped.  
  
"What's going on?" Ron asked tentatively.  
  
"Nothing Ron, lets go, you've already wasted precious time." Fred said sternly.  
  
Ron looked worried, Harry was having trouble not laughing.  
  
"Do you have all of your things Ron?" Sirius asked in a caring voice.  
  
Ron nodded.  
  
"You should be on your way then," Remus added.  
  
"Did something happen?" Ron asked, his voice shaking slightly.  
  
"No time to talk Ron we have to go NOW!" George replied shortly. Harry marveled at what great actors they were. They were almost fooling him and he was in on the joke. "Poor Ron," he thought.  
  
Fred grabbed Ron's bag and stepped through the fireplace. George followed, but winked at Sirius before he left, in hope that he'd remember the plan. Sirius nodded solemnly, so that it looked like a goodbye. When George was out of sight, Sirius walked towards Ron, he put a hand on each of his shoulders and looked him square in the face. "Ron, I want you to know that you can always come here if you need anything. If stuff at home becomes too much, you are always welcome here. Remember that." With that, he let his shoulders go. Remus just stood back, fake tears in his eyes.  
  
Ron looked literally terrified. He gulped and then walked towards the fireplace. "Thank you, Harry I'll see you soon, right?"  
  
Harry nodded, trying to look as sad and worried as the others, but finding it to be much more difficult. "Good bye Ron," he said, as solemnly as he could. Ron gulped again and then stepped into the fire mumbled something and was gone.  
  
Harry cracked a big grin when his friend left. "I wish I could see his face after this...he's probably going to send me a howler." Harry broke off laughing. Sirius and Remus joined in.  
  
"Those twins are pretty good, I must say," Sirius said when they finished laughing.  
  
"They tried to send me a toilet seat once when I was in the hospital wing," Harry replied, smiling at the memory of Dumbledore telling him that.  
  
Remus just shook his head, smiling slightly. He got up and pressed play, and they continued watching the movie. It soon became obvious that it was just not as fun without Ron around. When the movie ended, Sirius looked the opposite of what he had before the movie started. His eyes were darkened, and his skin looked pale. His hair was matted down like he had run his hands over it repeatedly, and a close look would show that he was shaking.  
  
"Padfoot, you alright?" Remus asked taking in his friends appearance.  
  
Sirius shook his head, "I have a really bad feeling Moony. Something's not going right!"  
  
Harry looked worriedly at his godfather, he too had been having some bad feelings after Ron had left.  
  
Remus was the first to speak up. "Sirius, you need to calm down. You can't run yourself down like this until you know what has happened. Okay?"  
  
Sirius tried to nod his head, but gave up as he ran to the bathroom. The sound of him throwing up soon lofted into the living room. Remus and Harry looked grimly at each other. When Sirius came back, he was shaking harder.  
  
"Lay down Padfoot," Remus ordered. Sirius obeyed immediately. He was sweating profusely, but his skin was cold, making him shiver. If Harry hadn't know better, he would have said Sirius had the flu.  
  
"I'll go make you some tea," Remus said once Sirius was in place on the couch. Harry got into his chair and went and pulled a blanket out of the closet he had seen Sirius go into the previous night. He brought it over to Sirius and threw it on top of him.  
  
"Thanks Harry," Sirius said, his teeth chattering away.  
  
Harry made to leave, but Sirius grabbed the back of his chair, "Where are you going?"  
  
Harry turned around, "I was going to go upstairs."  
  
"Can you stay here?" Sirius asked. It was like he didn't want Harry to leave his sight. Harry nodded. He was only going to leave because he had thought Sirius would want to be alone. Harry locked his wheelchair in place and pulled himself out and sat on the floor, so his back was against the couch, just below Sirius. When he was settled, he felt Sirius wrap an arm protectively over Harry's chest. Harry looked up at his godfather to find that he was drifting off into sleep. "Good," thought Harry, "Maybe he'll feel better if he sleeps. However, Sirius never fully managed to get to sleep, just as he was dozing off the bell sounded from the fireplace. He nearly fell off the couch when it happened, and he tightened his arm around Harry. Remus strode into the room.  
  
"Name please?"  
  
It took a few seconds, but a haggard voice came through, "Albus Dumbledore."  
  
  
  
That's all for now. Please review whether you liked it or not. I was pretty happy with the number of reviews for this chapter, but I'd love to beat that number. So if you read this chapter, please review, just to tell me that you read it! More to come soon...I'm on vacation!!!! 


	12. Chapter 12

This is a pretty emotional chapter...I don't think there is any happiness in it at all, but I had fun writing it anyway...ENJOY!  
  
Carolyn: Thanks for reviewing, it was interesting to see your progressing thoughts of my story! To your first review, I guess everything's pretty much answered. I did realize that I didn't really show that Sirius was innocent in the beginning. I was trying to show that Harry was the only thing that really mattered to him. And it is ironic that his uncle can be his downfall and not Voldy, that's why I like these kinds of stories and chose to write one. To your second review, I'm trying to make this a serious/funny fic, I'm working on finding a balance...I'm glad you think its funny! Third Review: I love writing cliff hangers, I think they draw readers in better, and keep everyone remembering where they left off. I try to end every chapter with at least a small one, but it doesn't always work!  
  
PhoenixFeather: Sirius will be happy eventually, but I can't really let him be all the time can I? And you may know what's coming, but I'm going to try to add some twists so I'm not too predictable!!  
  
Evil Willow: Was my prank good??? You're going to see soon how the trial will go. I have a definite plan for what I want to happen, but it could change, I'm never completely sure about what I'm going to write until I write it! And your order of characters is the same as mine!!!  
  
Amy Potter 13: I can't assure you that I won't do those things to Sirius, but I'll tell you eventually he'll be Mr. Happy go lucky, which I'm sure everyone wants him to be!  
  
Sirius Black: Well, you're about to see what happens to Peter, it's not all I have planned for him, but I think he's getting some of what he deserves! Don't worry, he won't die, I promise, I HATE fics where he dies, it's just too sad.  
  
Silver Moon: Cliffhangers are supposed to scare you! I actually considered pulling a fireplace scandal, but I like the way I did it, hope you do too! And after that day, how could Dumbledore possibly have good news???  
  
John: You're the only reviewer I have ever had who actually likes cliffhangers...are you crazy?  
  
Lucretio-del-alba: No prob that you don't review every chapter, though I love it when people do! I like getting regular reviews more than random ones, cuz it shows me how well my writing is changing and what not...and I'm definitely getting sick of computers. Any kind just boggle my mind, especially the ones I must use at the grocery store!  
  
Squirrel Girl: I'm glad that the squirrels aren't the only thing that keep you reading the story. I live in New Hampshire btw, are you getting some of this killer snow storm too?!?!  
  
Katie: You didn't wig me out at all, I was just agreeing that it was weird that we both did wheelchairs. This is what I hate about computers, misunderstandings happen way too much! Anyway, you like read my mind here. After I gave Sirius that bad feeling, I thought about just having it be something happening to Ron, although a heart attack was not part of my plan...I was thinking severe burns from the fireworks...who knows maybe I'll still throw that in eventually! And no ones dead yet, although I'm starting to develop my idea on who's going to die, but I'll never tell. So I promise I'll read your story when you're sure you're gonna continue, and if you're not, write a new one without any Harry Hermione stuff!  
  
A.Dee: I can leave it where ever I want...lol, I do it just to irritate you people! And yes, I thought it would really show emotion/fear if Sirius threw up, sorry if I grossed you or anyone else out!  
  
  
  
In seconds, Dumbledore was standing in the center of the room with a very tense expression upon his face. He looked quickly at Sirius's terrified form on the couch, then at Harry looking scared below him. A sad expression took over Dumbledore's face as he saw how much the two got from each other, love and security. He was about to take some of that away.  
  
"Sirius, could I ask that you turn into your animagus form immediately?"  
  
Sirius and Harry both looked stricken. Sirius removed his arm from Harry and stood up, his terrified expression never leaving his face. In seconds Sirius was gone and Snuffles was in his place. Harry let out a single sob, but he wasn't crying, he was simply curious and frightened. He wanted to know what was going on.  
  
"Now, Remus," Albus said to the one person who had remained calm, "I assume he can still understand everything I say when he's in this form? As rationally as he would in his usual form?"  
  
Remus nodded, "He'll most likely be more rational now."  
  
"Good," Albus replied. "Now I have a lot to tell you, but first I'd like to ask Harry to leave the room. I fear this may be a bit too much for him to handle, as he is still recovering from one emotional injury."  
  
Harry immediately tried to stand up but it didn't work, "What??? No way, I'm not leaving! I need to know what's going on just as much as everyone else, you can't just make me leave!"  
  
"Harry, this is very serious business, are you sure you want to deal with this?" Dumbledore replied, staring pointedly at Harry. He knew the boy was brave, but he tended to react too quickly without first using his head.  
  
Harry nodded vigorously, and Sirius trotted over and sat down, resting one paw on Harry's leg. Then Sirius looked up at Dumbledore and waited for what he was going to say. Dumbledore sighed, then cleared his throat.  
  
"I have just been to the ministry, as I'm sure you've assumed. Things didn't go exactly as I had planned. I have some good news, but bad as well. Which would you like first?"  
  
Since Sirius couldn't answer, Remus tried to communicate with him. He knelt down on the other side of the dog, "Bad news first so you can end on a happy note?"  
  
The dog shook his head, clearly signifying that the answer was no.  
  
"Good news first?"  
  
The dog nodded his head.  
  
"Good news first Albus," Remus said, though he had wanted to hear the bad first.  
  
"Okay then, the good news is that Mr. Pettigrew is currently on his way to Azkaban." At this Sirius let out a happy bark, causing Harry to laugh, and slightly lightening the mood.  
  
"This of course will lead me to the bad news, "Dumbledore said seriously. Everyone nodded. "Mr. Pettigrew is being sent to Azkaban on charges of being a deatheater, and betraying James and Lily Potter. However, the ministry is being stubborn in believing you're complete innocence. They believe that you went crazy the day you found out Peter had betrayed Mr. And Mrs. Potter, and that you did kill all those muggles in an attempt to kill Mr. Pettigrew."  
  
Sirius looked down at Harry's knee at this. Remus looked stricken, and Harry looked ready to bawl.  
  
"I'm sorry," Dumbledore added.  
  
Sirius slumped down and rested the upper half of his body on Harry's lap. Harry bent over and wrapped his arm around the dog. Harry was shaking, but he wasn't crying. He buried his face in the dogs fur and stroked the it's back. "Poor Sirius," Harry thought, "He knew something like this would happen, and here we are anyway."  
  
Harry lifted his head to ask a question, but continued to stroke the dogs back, "What's going to happen now?"  
  
"Mr. Pettigrew told the ministry that Sirius is here, at this house. I imagine they'll be here very shortly to gather him, that is why I have him as a dog. I am unsure if Mr. Pettigrew gave away that bit of information, but we'll see."  
  
"What will they do to him? Will they give him the kiss?" Harry asked frantically.  
  
"I believe that my influence will get Mr. Black a trial this time. If they find him guilty, however, I am quite sure he will be delivered the kiss. I will try to get the ministry to use Veritaserum. They did for Mr. Pettigrew's case."  
  
Remus was looking far more worried than Harry. "If they used veritaserum on Wormtail then how come they didn't discover that he killed those muggles?" he asked in a trembling voice.  
  
"Ahh well, even under Veritaserum one can be cunning. When asked if he had killed the muggles the night he disappeared, he replied that he as good as killed them. A line I believe he got from Mr. Black that night in the shrieking shack. It had worked to convince Harry, so he figured that it would work for him, and he was right. The ministry believed that he was saying it was his fault because Sirius was after him, and they were killed because they stood in Sirius's way."  
  
Remus sat down on the floor next to Sirius. He buried his face in his hands. Sirius got off of Harry and sat close to his friend. Remus wrapped his arms around the dog and like Harry had done earlier buried his head in his fur. For the first time since Harry had arrived, which hadn't been that long, he found that his former teacher was the first one to break down. It was usually Harry or Sirius who would have the problems, but this time it was Remus, and that alone scared the wits out of Harry.  
  
"Sirius, I won't let them take you-I need you-Harry needs you-Make sure you win Sirius, you can't lose this!"  
  
The dog let out a sad whimper and buried his head in Remus's shoulder. Dumbledore cleared his throat, as he too was getting choked up over the situation. "I do not think it wise for me to be here when the ministry arrives. Harry, Remus I believe that you will both remain safe if you stay here. Alert me immediately when they take Sirius away, I'll be in my office." With that, Dumbledore left through the fireplace.  
  
Remus was still sobbing when Dumbledore left. Tears were beginning to fill Harry's eyes as well. The whole situation just seemed hopeless. Sirius, however, was not ready to give up. Once Dumbledore left the room he transformed back into a human. Tears were in his eyes as well, but he was not willing to let them fall.  
  
"Sirius, what the hell do you think you are doing? You heard what Dumbledore said," Remus choked.  
  
Sirius nodded. "This time, I think Dumbledore is wrong. The ministry knows I can turn into a dog. I know they do. Pettigrew would not have let that particular rock unturned."  
  
Remus nodded in agreement, to that, but still looked uncertain about what he was trying to do. So Sirius continued, "If they come and I'm hiding as a dog, their going to know that I'm trying to hide, and that you two are trying to hide me. And Remus, I don't care what Dumbledore says, I have a feeling that you're going to be dragged into this too."  
  
Remus nodded, he had been thinking the same thing.  
  
Harry finally broke down completely at this. Sirius and Remus turned to him quickly. Sirius immediately pulled Harry into a tight hug, resting his chin on Harry's head. "I'm so sorry Harry."  
  
Harry pulled out of the hug. He looked at Sirius with a face full of nothing but sadness. "It's not your fault Sirius!...It's the ministry, they're the one's causing more problems then they're solving," Harry yelled through his sobs. Remus started crying harder.  
  
Sirius was for the first time the voice of reason, "You both need to stop this. When the ministry arrives you can't be crying. I want to cry too, but I know I can't. We need to be strong or this situation will get worse before it even has a chance to get better."  
  
Remus and Harry both nodded, trying to stop their tears. They took deep breaths, and after a few minutes, Harry at least had been able to calm himself down.  
  
Remus on the other hand, managed only to cry harder. "Sirius, I can't lose you! I've lost everyone, and I've already lost you once. I can't go through that again! I can't!"  
  
Sirius hugged his friend tightly. "I know Moony, I'll do everything possible to come out of this alright, but tears aren't going to help this at all. It'll probably make it worse for you! You have to stop crying Rem."  
  
Remus nodded, but still clung to his best friend. Harry watched sadly as Remus tried to get control of himself. "I'm sorry Padfoot."  
  
"No need to be sorry Moony," Sirius replied, unsure of what Remus just apologized for.  
  
"I'm sorry I'm thinking only of myself when you're going through all this."  
  
"Remus, you're going through as much shit as I am right now, if not more. I repeat you have no reason to be sorry!" Remus nodded sadly, but he wouldn't let himself cry again.  
  
Harry was shaking like a leaf in fear. He knew there was a chance that he might lose Sirius, but the revelation that they both thought Remus was in danger as well, left Harry with nothing but fear.  
  
Sirius noticed the shaking and gave Harry a worried look, "You okay bud?"  
  
Harry shook his head, but said, "I'll be fine."  
  
"Harry, Remus and I'll do everything in our power to make sure you're safe. Remember, you're what got me out in the first place, and you'll be what will keep me sane if I ever have to return to Azkaban. You're what matters most Harry."  
  
Harry blushed, but continued to shake violently. Sirius pulled the blanket Harry had given him earlier off the couch and spread it over the shaking boy, and then kissed the top of Harry's head.  
  
"Sirius, I know you don't want to be the dog, but I don't think it's best for you to be right here when the ministry comes," Remus remarked after a few minutes of absolute silence. "Why don't you go wait in your room?" Sirius looked indecisive for a few moments, but then nodded his head. He gave Remus a hug, and then Harry, and turned to go upstairs.  
  
"I love you Sirius," Harry called just as he reached the first step.  
  
Sirius turned, grinned slightly and replied, "I love you too Harry." And then he disappeared up the stairs.  
  
Remus sighed and turned to Harry. The boy looked positively miserable, and Remus couldn't think of anything to say to make him feel better. Remus got up and turned the television back on. When ever he was having a tough time he would just get lost in whatever was on the television, he hoped the same would go for Harry. He put it on re-runs of the Brady Bunch and they both watched in silence for a while. Harry stopped shaking, but he looked sadder. He soon realized why. The Brady Bunch was of a very happy family, and Harry didn't have a family. The closest thing he had ever had to one was threatening to come apart.  
  
Remus got up and changed the station. He found Friends, but that made everyone sad too. He settled for the news. There were depressing stories about the troubles in the Middle East, but it was better than thinking about their own troubles. The two watched the news in complete silence for over an hour, when a knock on the door broke the din.  
  
Remus stood instantly and walked to the door. Harry was listening from his seat on the floor to what was going on outside.  
  
"Remus Lupin," came an unfamiliar voice.  
  
"Ye-es," Remus said uncertainly, trying to remain calm.  
  
"Are you hiding Sirius Black within your home?"  
  
"No, I hide no one," Remus replied bravely.  
  
"Is Sirius Black in your house."  
  
Harry pictured Remus standing up to whoever was out there bravely, as he heard him say, "Yes, he is."  
  
"We have a warrant from the ministry to take him away, please step aside Lupin."  
  
Harry heard him move and looked up to see a men in dress robes walk through the living room.  
  
"What is Harry Potter doing here?" one man asked.  
  
"He lives here," Remus said firmly.  
  
"Are you saying you kidnapped Harry Potter?"  
  
Remus looked at the ministry official bewildered. "No, I did not kidnap Harry. I was a friend of his fathers, Harry wasn't being taken care of at his previous home, so I have taken him in."  
  
"Do you have ministry permission for that?"  
  
"No, but I have Albus Dumbledore permission, and that's enough for me." Remus growled.  
  
"Take us to Sirius Black,"  
  
"I'm not taking you anywhere...SIRIUS! Come down here please!" He called.  
  
It took a few moments, but they eventually heard Sirius coming slowly down the stairs.  
  
"Are you Sirius Black?" one official asked sternly.  
  
"Yes, I am," he muttered.  
  
"We're here to take you to the ministry, for the moment you will not be delivered to the dementor's, but one wrong move and one will appear before you can say kiss, got it?"  
  
Sirius nodded terrified.  
  
"We'll deal with you later Mr. Lupin," the ministry official said before walking Sirius out the front door. Harry got into his chair and rolled himself to the window, and watched Sirius walking slowly away from the house. Harry broke down when Sirius was out of sight. He just sulked down in his chair and sobbed. Remus went to the fireplace to notify Dumbledore. He then walked up to Harry, knelt by his wheelchair. He reached forward and hugged Harry tightly. His heat constricted when he felt how tense Harry felt, and how agonizing his sobs were. Remus started crying as well, only this time not for himself or for Sirius, he was crying for Harry.  
  
"Harry," Remus began, only to hear Harry's sobs get louder. "Harry come sit on the couch with me, okay?" he said softly. Harry nodded through his sobs and wheeled his chair towards the couch. He pulled himself onto it and just about fell apart when he sat on it.  
  
Remus scooted next to him, and put an arm over his shoulders, pulling him closer.  
  
"Harry it's going to be alright. It's not over yet, there's still a lot we can do!" Remus kept murmuring things like this into Harry's ear, trying to comfort him, but nothing worked. Eventually, he stopped talking and just sat there, rocking Harry slightly, trying to put him to sleep. Anything would have been better for him than those agonizing thoughts he was clearly thinking. Harry finally did fall asleep, but the result wasn't what Remus was going for.  
  
When Harry finally fell asleep and stopped shaking, Remus moved him so that he was laying down, and covered him with a blanket. He had Harry's head resting on his knee, and he stroked his messy hair, trying to keep him calm. Every few minutes, however, it was evident that Harry was not calm, even in sleep. He would thrash something every once in a while, and Remus had to dodge limbs to keep from being hit. After an hour of watching Harry's fitful sleeping, he got up to cook dinner, chicken and rice soup. When he finished cooking it, he went to wake Harry.  
  
Remus hunched down in front of the couch and put a hand on Harry's scrawny shoulder, and shook him awake. Harry woke easily and blinked a few times before locking his sad eyes with Remus.  
  
"Thank God you woke me Remus, I was having another dream about Sirius being taken away. It was really awful, I thought they were even going to take you away. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you both...Where is Sirius?"  
  
Remus was shocked at this. He couldn't believe he was going to have to explain to Harry that what he had thought had been an awful nightmare was something that really happened. Harry immediately caught the look on Remus's face.  
  
"What is it Remus?" Harry asked, looking positively terrified.  
  
"That wasn't a dream Harry," Remus began. "That really happened, you were really upset, and you fell asleep. Sirius is with the ministry."  
  
Harry looked shocked. He didn't look sad, or angry, he just looked shocked. Harry opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. He kept opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water.  
  
Remus felt awful. He had to witness Harry go through this three times now, and he had really gone through it four! His dreams took a lot out of him, so Remus considered them to be like real life pain for him. He wished there was something he could do for Harry, but he couldn't think of anything that would make it all go away.  
  
"It's going to be okay though, Harry, I promise."  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"Come on, Harry, I made soup, you need to eat."  
  
Harry again just nodded. He showed no signs of getting up, however, so Remus took the liberty of doing that for him. He scooped up the boy and put him into his chair, then wheeled him into the kitchen. He sat him in front of a hot bowl of soup and then sat down himself. Remus started eating, but found that Harry wasn't.  
  
"Harry, you need to eat. Sirius wouldn't want you moping like this. You need to get strong and healthy again, can you please eat your soup?"  
  
Harry sighed and looked at the food. He dipped his spoon in and brought some towards him. His hand started shaking as he started at the food. He was almost to his mouth when he dropped the spoon back in the bowl, shaking his head.  
  
"I can't," he mumbled sadly.  
  
Remus got up and knelt beside Harry for what seemed like the millionth time that day. "Harry, I promise everything will be okay, I'm going to protect you and Sirius, okay. I know you're worried but you have to keep living okay. This isn't something that's going to go away immediately, so you need to start getting used to it fast. Now please eat your soup."  
  
Again, Harry scooped some soup on his spoon. He brought it towards his mouth, then suddenly dropped it in his lap as he began to dry heave. Remus stood up quickly and grabbed the spoon, put it back in the bowl and pushed it all away. He grabbed a hold of Harry's shoulders, and rubbed them comfortingly. Harry began to sob again and Remus wrapped him in a comforting hug. "I told you Harry, it's going to be okay," Remus said soothingly. He picked Harry up and brought his trembling figure upstairs to his room. He lay Harry down in the bed and buried him under the blankets.  
  
Remus sat down on the edge of the bed and just watched Harry try to calm himself down. He couldn't think of a single thing that would make Harry feel better, but he figured it would be best if he stuck around. Harry eventually fell asleep, but again it was not peaceful. Every now and then he'd thrash or call out Sirius's name. Remus sighed every time this happened.  
  
Eventually, Remus fell asleep as well. He slumped over Harry , using his stomach as a pillow.  
  
Meanwhile, far away at the ministry Sirius was in a holding cell, wide awake. After he had been taken from Remus's he had met Dumbledore at the Ministry headquarters. Dumbledore informed him that first thing the next morning Sirius would be getting his first trial. Dumbledore brought with him dress robes and toiletries so he could look his best for the event.  
  
Dumbledore was acting so optimistic about the whole thing, but Sirius just couldn't bring himself to think the same way. His mind just kept thinking about the bad.  
  
He sat worrying about what the others were going through, and about his impending trial. Thoughts were running through his head about what the next few days would hold. Over and over he replayed one line the ministry official had said, "We'll deal with you later Mr. Lupin." What were they going to do to Remus? Sirius was extremely worried about the consequences of the trial for himself, but also for Harry and Remus.  
  
The next day, Harry woke up again to find a heavy weight upon him. He thought hopefully that it was Sirius, but opened his eyes to find Remus. Thoughts of the previous night again flooded his mind, but he was determined not to let them get to him. Remus had been right, Harry needed to keep living. "Remus, Remus wake up," Harry said quietly, shaking him.  
  
Remus blinked a few times and then opened his eyes completely. He sat up and looked at Harry, surprised to see that he looked much better than the previous night. "How ya feeling Harry?" Remus mumbled.  
  
Harry grinned sadly, "Much better, I'm sorry about last night."  
  
"It's no problem Harry, no problem at all. You couldn't help what you were feeling, or how your body reacted."  
  
Harry nodded sheepishly. "Cheer up, Harry, we're going to get through this."  
  
Harry lay back on his pillows and sighed thoughtfully. It was going to seem like an eternity before they heard anything, and it was obvious that they weren't about to stop worrying any time soon.  
  
"How about some chess to take our minds off it?" Remus asked.  
  
"Sure," Harry replied. Remus walked away, grabbed the board off a shelf and brought it back to Harry. They were soon engaged in a long tournament of chess, and were successful in at least taking their minds slightly off of Sirius and the events that would soon be taking place.  
  
Back at the ministry, Sirius woke with a start. He hadn't realized he had fallen asleep, so waking up really surprised him. At first he was unsure of where he was, but soon remembered everything. "This is it," he thought, "This is what it all comes down to." He wanted to get everything over with, the suspense was killing him.  
  
Around his cell he could hear people talking, but found all of the conversations uninteresting, until a familiar voice rang over the others. "Yes, but I tell you he is an innocent man. Give him the veritaserum and you shall see. There is no way he can get around the truth under that," Dumbledore was shouting.  
  
Another familiar voice sounded, Cornelius Fudge, "Yes, well Pettigrew said it wasn't his fault either so it must be Black's! Why waste perfectly good veritaserum when we already know it must be him?!"  
  
"He is not guilty I tell you! Tell me again what Wormtail said under the veritaserum? He said he as good as killed them, did he not?"  
  
"He did say that, yes."  
  
"Well then, he admitted he killed the muggles!"  
  
"Dumbledore, he simply felt that he was the one to blame that's all. He feels it was his fault they died, but that doesn't mean they died at his hand!"  
  
"Yes, Minister, it does. Give Sirius Black the Veritaserum and you will see that," Dumbledore said tiredly.  
  
Then, a prisoner in a nearby cell let out a terrible scream and a riot began, Sirius was unable to hear whether or not Dumbledore had convinced Fudge to give him Veritaserum or not. "Please Dumbledore," Sirius whispered quietly to himself. "Please help me."  
  
After nearly fifteen minutes, the holding cell area had quieted down again, and one of the voices still remained. Sirius could hear the minister of magic talking to a guard, who's voice also sounded familiar. It was one of the guards who had taken Sirius from Remus's home.  
  
"Minister, that werewolf needs to be taken into custody. He has kidnapped Harry Potter, as well as hide Sirius Black while he was number one on our most wanted list. He can not be let free in society. I guess it's true that you can never trust a beast."  
  
"Indeed, Garrison. He will be punished justly for not turning in Black, as for Harry Potter, I believe that Dumbledore will interfere too much for us to do anything about that."  
  
Sirius's heart was stuck in his throat. "They're going to go after Moony! All because he was helping me...and it was under Dumbledore's orders. How could the minister of magic be so evil?" Currently, Cornelius Fudge was the equivalent of Peter Pettigrew in the eyes of Sirius. He became lost in thought, and didn't notice the voices die away. He sat for nearly an hour, contemplating how everything was his fault, and what would happen to Harry if both Sirius and Remus were sent to Azkaban.  
  
Without realizing how much time had passed, Sirius was shocked out of his thoughts when the door to his cell was thrust open. He looked up to see Dumbledore, accompanied by two guards.  
  
"It's time Sirius," Dumbledore said.  
  
Sirius nodded, terrified and stood, shaking. He walked out of his cell, never looking back, and barely noticed the loud bang with which it shut. He walked on, thinking he was about to face his final destiny.  
  
A/N: Now, that was pretty short, but if I added the trial in now it would be WAY too long. Next chapter will be all about the trial, with a little of what's going on back at the Lupin Loft. Hope you're all enjoying this, and having a wonderful Christmas! We're snowed in here!!! 


	13. Chapter 13

Thanks to all reviewers! I was so happy to see that I've broken 100 reviews, lets get up to 200 soon!  
  
Evil Spapple Pie: I think we would all like to do that to Fudge, particularly after this chapter! Remus's fate won't be on trial for at least a few chapters, but I have an exact plan for how that's going to go, I don't think people will like it too much, but in the end everything will be great! A happy ending is the plan!  
  
Squirrel Girl: We got a foot and a half up here in New Hampshire, we even lost power while cooking our Christmas Eve dinner! It was pretty cool though. I promise to never let Sirius or Moony die in this story, that just can never happen cuz I'd cry writing it!  
  
Sirius Black: Neither Sirius or Remus are going to die, and this chapter will settle the rest of you fears, I think you'll be happy with the outcome!  
  
Kimmy: You're back, I thought you, one of my first reviewers had left! Fudge does deserve to have his neck wrung, if you want to see one reviewers plan for him, you should read Evil Spapple Pie's review, it goes into a lot of detail! Where do you live that it rained on Christmas? That really sucks. My Christmas was wonderful, I went sledding in the backyard at 10 PM, I hadn't gone sledding in years, it was a blast! Hope yours was great too!  
  
Emily: THANKS! I'm glad you like the story so much, I'm definitely not the number one writer, that title belongs to JKR only! And you'll find out now what Sirius's fate is!  
  
John: You're wish is my command! I have updated. There's another cliffhanger on this chapter, but it's no were near as bad as the last one. But my cliffhangers are nothing! Some of these fanfic authors can really drive you crazy!  
  
Silver Moon: Here you go, enjoy!  
  
A.Dee: I'm glad the throwing up didn't disgust you, I have a friend who gets nauseous just hearing the word vomit, I was afraid you were like that! And I was trying to spark some Sirius sympathy when I wrote that part, I wanted to show just how scared he was...Now, you'll find out right about now whats going to happen to Sirius, but you'll have to wait a bit to see about Remus. So you're right, you need to be patient!  
  
Katie: Does that mean you didn't like that last chapter? I guess it was kind of hard to make everything a surprise, and it was inevitable that eventually Sirius was going to be taken in, I just hope you still like my story! And what did you mean about the Harry and Remus thing, was I overdoing it, cuz I often think I am...Neway, you seem to have forgotten that the Dursley's are dead, I guess I didn't make a very big deal out of that, but it was at least 1/5 of a chapter...Oh well, I think you're right about the esp thing! That's so weird! Is the Christmas Wish your story? Or just one that you recommend? Either way, I can't find it, but I'd love to read it. And if it's not your story, let me know when you put it up!  
  
Maryanne: You will hear the outcome of the prank, eventually, I was going to use it to lighten the mood during the trial, but it wouldn't fit good...And about Christmas, I usually go away to relatives on Christmas Day, but this year due to the snow and other reasons, we stayed home and I was SO BORED! So I had to get on the compy and finish that chapter up. I actually got quite a few reviews on Christmas Day, I didn't expect to get any! And I recently discovered the world of fanfics, and I must say I have become an addict! I get on at least once a day to see if my fav stories have been updated, and when I'm done that I work on my own for a bit. My family tortures me about it, but I love it! LOL, I think its so funny how they say Happy Christmas, too! I don't know why I'm gonna tell you this, but it just sparked in my head, at the store where I work, I told everyone Merry Christmas, but 3 times I said Happy Thanksgiving! It's the most embarrassing thing! Thought I'd share that...Happy New Year!  
  
Moonlight: Don't be scared! And I would never let Pettigrew win, not this time! Everything, you will see, is sort of alright, hope you like it, thanks for reviewing...Do it again, and I'll promise to make this story have a happy ending!  
  
Wellingtonboots: I love your name! Where did you come up with that? Thanks for the review, I hope you enjoyed the rest of it!  
  
PhoenixFeather: It is sad, and I'm trying to make it that way, I'm really afraid I let it get to sappy though, I'm going to try to un-sap it a little, but the next chapters gonna have to have a little in it...Don't be jealous of the snow, it was nice to have it coming down like it was, but I'll tell you I'm already sick of it, I went out for lunch today, and first we couldn't park cuz there were too many snow banks, and then one of my friends decided to kick nasty slush all over me...it kept him rather entertained, but I had to change my pants when I got home! Grrr...I'm still angry about that!  
  
  
  
A/N: Here it is, hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it! Happy New Year everyone! I will try to get one more chapter out before 2003! BTW, I tried to do a little symbolism/metaphor stuff in this chapter, but it didn't turn out that well, just thought I'd warn you that that bit is a little off, see if you can figure out what part I'm referring to!  
  
Sirius stepped into a courtroom filled with people talking. The moment they turned to see him walking in, escorted by two guards they broke off all conversations. They all gaped at him like he was part of a circus show. No one showed fear, but everyone looked amazed. They had taken what they had heard the ministry said to heart. Sirius Black was no longer considered a cold blooded killer, rather an insane man who belonged in a padded room.  
  
Fudge stepped up behind the stand and rapped his gavel. The attention of the people turned away from Sirius and to the minister.  
  
"I am glad to see so many of you finally taking part in ministry affairs. It is a pleasure to have you all as witnesses today, for today we will be trying one Sirius Black. You all know of his story I am sure, and of the recent events that have taken place."  
  
There was a quiet murmur of agreement from the crowd.  
  
"Today's trial, however, will be different than is usual. Under a request from Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School has requested the use of veritaserum and a jury. Now we don't usually do things by jury in this court, but for Dumbledore I am making an exception."  
  
The crowd nodded in understanding.  
  
"Now I'd like to call Sirius Black to the bench," Fudge said loudly.  
  
Sirius was escorted by the guards to the bench. He sat and locking charms were placed over him so he couldn't move. "Please administer the veritaserum," Fudge commanded.  
  
A guard brought a vial towards Sirius and pressed it to his lips. Sirius opened his mouth slightly and the guard poured it into his mouth. It felt rather like he was under the imperious curse. His mind seemed incredibly clear.  
  
"Now I'd like to introduce the jury," Fudge began before naming each of the nine members. None of the names were familiar to Sirius, which he considered to be a pretty good thing. Sirius ignored the jury and focused on the crowd. He saw Dumbledore sitting in the front row, and caught him winking at him. He scanned the rest of the crowd and found that neither Remus or Harry were present. He was relieved at this, but also slightly disappointed. He found that the only person he had there for him was Dumbledore, a man he had not always seen eye to eye with.  
  
"I will now question the suspect..."  
  
Earlier, Harry and Remus were back at the Lupin Loft, playing chess. "Is Sirius going on trial today?" Harry asked while they were resetting the board after Harry was taken out by Remus.  
  
Remus sighed, he had thought he had successfully taken Harry's mind off Sirius. "Yeah, Harry he is."  
  
"Can we go?"  
  
"Dumbledore came over early this morning. He said it would be in our best interest not to go."  
  
"Oh," Harry responded, looking down, "I just thought-thought he'd like to have us there, to show support for him."  
  
"I know, and I was thinking about going despite what Dumbledore said, but I really think he's right. Sirius would probably kick us out if we showed up there."  
  
"I just hope he's doing alright," Harry said sighing.  
  
Remus squeezed his shoulder, "He'll be fine, Sirius is strong, and he'll do alright...I know it."  
  
Harry nodded, then began the next game of chess.  
  
"Did you, Sirius Black, kill thirteen muggles, fifteen years ago?"  
  
"No," Sirius replied in a monotone, "Peter Pettigrew did that."  
  
"Were you in fact trying to kill Peter Pettigrew that night?"  
  
"Yes, I was."  
  
"Why did you want Peter Pettigrew dead?"  
  
"He betrayed Lily and James, it was his fault they died."  
  
"So why did Pettigrew kill the muggles?"  
  
"So everyone would think I did it and so he could escape. He caused the explosion cut off his finger and disappeared, leaving me as the prime suspect. Quite ingenious really."  
  
"So you're telling me and the jury that Peter Pettigrew killed the muggles before pretending he was dead?"  
  
Sirius simply nodded.  
  
"And, why should we believe you, when Peter Pettigrew himself said that he was innocent of the murders as well?"  
  
"Peter Pettigrew did not say that he was innocent. He told you that he as good as killed them, and that's just what he did. He managed to manipulate you, Mr. Fudge, even under Veritaserum! He did not say he was innocent, but I'm telling you, under veritaserum that I AM INNOCENT!"  
  
"Indeed," Fudge said, taken a back by the tone in Sirius's voice. "But that will be for the jury to decide. Dumbledore, will you please show the jurors to their chamber?"  
  
Dumbledore rose from his seat and walked toward the jury members. Sirius watched as they all filed out of the room. Sirius was terrified of what was soon to come. There were a million things that could have happened. "What if Fudge paid these guys to find me guilty? What if I'm found guilty under pretenses that are actually fair?" Sirius thought, realizing that if he was found guilty today, any hope of ever being freed would be gone, gone for good. Wormtail had admitted to murdering the muggles, and Sirius had denied it, yet Sirius was still the one being tried for the deed.  
  
Sirius waited on the bench for nearly a half hour, tension growing by the second.  
  
Back at the Lupin Loft at the same moment, Harry and Remus were having a heated game of chess, the last in their tournament. One move could send either into checkmate, and decide the outcome of the tournament. The winner and the loser would be determined.  
  
Turns were taken, both were growing quiet. Harry moved a knight, and grinned broadly. "Check mate."  
  
At the same time, the jury had just filed back into the courtroom. Sirius looked for Dumbledore and found that he had not returned with the jury. "That can't be good," Sirius thought grimly.  
  
One juror came to the stand and faced the crowds, "The jury finds Sirius Black Not Guilty of all charges against him. He will be allowed to return home, obtain a wand, and will be given a formal apology from the ministry of magic!"  
  
The crowd cheered for Sirius, which shocked him more than finding that he was free. They were all cheering for him, a man who was once over TV's and newspapers around the entire country. The crowds stood up applauding and grinning at him. Sirius felt like he was on a game show.  
  
Fudge rapped his gavel a few times and the crowds settled down. He had a very sour expression on his face.  
  
"The jury finds that you are innocent, thus you can leave. I however, still believe you are guilty. One wrong move Black and I'll get the Dementor's on you so fast..."  
  
Sirius looked up at the minister, and then just grinned. The guards undid his locks and he stood up and walked straight out of the courtroom. Outside, he found Dumbledore leaning against the door.  
  
"I told you I could pull a few strings."  
  
"Thanks Albus, I couldn't have done this without you."  
  
"It was my pleasure Mr. Black, but I suggest you hurry home now, there are two people there worried sick about you."  
  
Sirius grinned, too choked up with happiness to say anymore.  
  
"Before you leave," Dumbledore said, before reaching into his robes, and pulling out a long thin box, "I'd like to give you this."  
  
Sirius took the box and opened it. Lying inside was his old wand, just as he remembered it before he had been taken away. Sirius grinned. He looked up at Dumbledore with tears in his eyes.  
  
"Congratulations Sirius," Dumbledore said.  
  
"Thanks Albus," Sirius said before apparating as close to Remus's house as he could. He ran the rest of the way back to the house. He had a plan to surprise Harry and Remus, but when he got to the front door, he found that it was locked.  
  
"Damn it," Sirius said aloud. He walked around to the back door and found that it too was locked. "So much for that," he thought before walking back to the front door and knocking.  
  
"Who could that be?" Remus said aloud when he heard the knock. He put aside the exploding snap cards he had been holding and stood up.  
  
"You wait here, Harry, I don't know if it's safe," he said, Harry nodded.  
  
Remus walked swiftly down the stairs and to the front door. He pulled the door open, gasped and then keeled over.  
  
Sirius burst out laughing when he saw his friend faint, although he hit the floor pretty hard, it was pretty funny.  
  
Upstairs, Harry heard the thud of Remus's fall, and then heard a laugh. He immediately thought the worst, Voldemort. He climbed into his wheelchair, grabbed his wand and went downstairs. As he approached the doorway, he slowed down. Not wanting to put himself in immediate danger, he peered around the side of the wall. He was tipping slightly but was doing a good job keeping his balance. The first thing he saw was Remus out cold on the ground. He saw a pair of dark dress robes, and instantly thought, "Deatheater." He then looked into the face.  
  
With a crash, Harry tipped over his wheelchair. "Si-Sirius!" Harry said from the floor. The sight of his godfather had caused him to lose balance completely.  
  
"Sirius, what are you doing here?! And what happened to Remus?"  
  
Sirius rushed to Harry's side and helped him get back in his chair. "Well, Remus was just a little surprised to see me, as you apparently were too."  
  
"Okay, but what are you doing back?!" Harry asked excitedly, but worried at the same time that there were guards outside the door waiting to take Sirius away for good. "Did you already have a trial?"  
  
"I did, Harry, and guess what the verdict was?"  
  
Harry looked down sadly, he didn't want to get his hopes up. When Harry didn't respond, Sirius bent down in front of him. "Harry, it's okay."  
  
Harry looked up quickly. "It's okay? You mean...you're free."  
  
Sirius broke into a wide smile and nodded his head vigorously. Harry threw his arms around him and cried happily. Sirius was crying too.  
  
"Finally," Harry muttered after a few moments. Sirius pulled away and grinned, wiping his happy tears away.  
  
"Let's get Moony up and celebrate, shall we?"  
  
Harry nodded, smiling. Sirius bent down next to Remus and shook him, "Moony, Moony, wake up Rem!"  
  
Remus woke up rather easily and stared into the face of his best friend. He looked for a minute like he thought Sirius was a ghost, then broke into a grin. Sirius bent down and hugged Remus tightly, whispering, "I'm free, I won, Rem!"  
  
Remus started crying as well. He looked up to see that Harry had joined the scene since he fainted. "Thank God, Padfoot, I don't know what I would have done if I had lost you." He hugged Sirius again.  
  
"Lets celebrate, we can go to Diagon Ally for dinner!" Sirius said, gleeful at the prospect of walking through Diagon Ally.  
  
"Sounds good, Harry, are you going to be okay going into public with that chair?"  
  
Harry nodded, "I'm going to have to face the world sometime."  
  
"Awesome, why don't we all go and get ready, then I'll tell you all about the trial," Sirius said.  
  
Remus nodded and got up off the floor. He hugged Sirius tightly one more time and left. Sirius and Harry did the same before heading to Sirius's room.  
  
"Dress Robes Harry," Sirius said, throwing him some that Remus had bought. Sirius grabbed some for himself before adding, "I'm going to take a shower first."  
  
Harry nodded as he watched Sirius go. He was so happy now that Sirius was free, he couldn't imagine anything getting in his way now.  
  
Sirius on the other hand could. He stood in the shower letting the water run over him, and just sobbed. He was beyond happy that he had gotten his freedom, but knew that it was probably going to be at the cost of Remus. Hearing the guard and Fudge talking about trying Remus for withholding information had terrified him. He knew the second shoe was going to drop, and he was going to be tense about it until it did.  
  
Sirius stopped his tears half way through his shower, so that no one would be able to tell that he had been crying. He hurriedly got dressed and put his over the moon face on before heading to see where the others were. Harry was where Sirius had left him, but looked immensely better. He had fixed his hair, only slightly, but it made a remarkable difference, and he looked debonair in his dark blue dress robes.  
  
"Who are you and what have you done with my Godson?" Sirius asked upon entering the room.  
  
"Very funny, Sirius," Harry said shaking his head.  
  
"How is it you know who I am stranger?"  
  
"Sirius, I don't look that different."  
  
"You look good Harry, are you ready?" Sirius said, finally acting serious.  
  
Harry nodded, "But first I want to try something."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"I've been moving my feet a lot today, and I kind of wanted to try walking, but I need some help."  
  
"Awesome Harry," Sirius said grinning, "Maybe we'll have two things to celebrate tonight."  
  
"Can you just make sure I don't fall?"  
  
"Yeah," Sirius said, helping Harry rise to his feet. Sirius let go and let Harry stand on his own. They were both smiling as wide as was physically possible. Sirius stood less than a foot away, with his arms held out to catch Harry if he fell.  
  
Harry began to lift one leg, but started to tip slightly, he caught his balance and tried again, successfully. He put the foot back down, a little ahead of where he began. Again, he wobbled a bit, but kept his balance. Now he moved his other foot forward, quite successfully. Again and again, he took small steps towards his bed. Sirius was following very close behind. Harry made it to the bed, and then decided he was going to turn around. He took a step to the side, and twisted one leg slightly. This didn't work so well, however, and Harry went flying. He was about to hit the floor when Sirius grabbed him around the waist.  
  
"That was great Harry," Sirius exclaimed after standing Harry back up. Harry shrugged, trying to keep his smile in check. "Are you satisfied for now? We can try again after dinner."  
  
"Yeah, I'm starving, Remus and I didn't eat too much while you were gone, we were too worried."  
  
Sirius grinned sadly, "I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be, you're free now, and that's all that matters. I just wish me and Remus could have been at the trial."  
  
"I wish you could have been too, but Remus is already in a little trouble with the ministry, it wouldn't have been a good idea for him to show up."  
  
"Yeah, he said Dumbledore told him to stay home," Harry replied.  
  
"It was probably for the best...Now lets go get Moony."  
  
Sirius brought the wheelchair up to where Harry still stood, and Harry sat down. "How are we getting there?" Harry asked.  
  
"Car," Sirius replied.  
  
"To get to London? I actually don't know where this house is, but it seems pretty far from London."  
  
"Well, we have a special car, you wouldn't know about these of course. It's almost like an apparation vehicle. We just hit a button, say where we want to go there, and we end up in this sort of garage near where we want to go, then we drive the rest of the way like any muggle would."  
  
"Cool," Harry replied, "I wonder why the Weasley's don't get one."  
  
"Well, they're pretty expensive, and with all those kids they probably can't afford one."  
  
Harry nodded, understanding completely. Sirius then walked out the door, Harry rolled after them. They went downstairs to find Remus waiting in the living room. He was wearing robes that were considerably nicer than the ones he had worn when he taught at Hogwarts. "Sirius must have a lot of money," Harry thought. After all, he had bought Harry a Firebolt, a wheelchair, and an entire wardrobe, and Remus probably couldn't have pitched in that much.  
  
"Guess what Harry just did, Moony," Sirius said excitedly.  
  
"His hair," Remus remarked noticing that it looked nicer than usual.  
  
"Well that and...Harry you want to tell him?"  
  
"I walked a bit upstairs," Harry said shyly. He didn't think it was that big of a deal and hated that Sirius was making it one.  
  
Remus, however was on Sirius's side. "Harry that's awesome! Did it come easy?"  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"Nice, keep practicing, and we can return that chair!"  
  
"You ready Rem?" Sirius asked, "Harry and I are starving!"  
  
"Me too, we haven't eaten anything yet today, lets go."  
  
Sirius headed for the door, followed by Harry, with Remus taking up the rear. Sirius headed to the side of the house where a Jeep (A/N: I love Jeeps, I just got a brand new one! Or I should say my parents did...) was parked. Harry hadn't noticed it on his previous ventures outside the Lupin Loft. Sirius opened a back door and motioned for Harry to come over.  
  
"See that handle? I want you to grab hold of that to stand up and then pull yourself in with it, can you do that?"  
  
"I think so," Harry replied, and then tried it. It was difficult, but Harry made it into his seat and buckled up. Remus got in behind the wheel (the right side, right?) as Sirius put the wheelchair in the back. He then got in on the passenger side (Left side?).  
  
"London," Remus said after pressing a button on the dash board. They immediately were lunged into darkness. After about 20 seconds they came to a halt and the inside of a city car garage came into focus. Remus put the jeep in drive and began spiraling down to the bottom of the garage. They drove through the city for 15 minutes or so, before finding a parking place near the Leaky Cauldron.  
  
Remus got ready to get out of the car, but then looked at his friend. Sirius looked positively terrified.  
  
"You going to be okay, Padfoot?"  
  
"Ye-no," Sirius replied, shaking his head. "Rem, what if people still think bad about me, I'm sure everyone knows the truth by now, but what if I'm shunned anyway?"  
  
"Sirius, man, it's something you're just going to have to wait and see about. Some people are probably going to be like that, but I bet a lot of them will be on your side. Are you ready?"  
  
Sirius nodded, but still looked rather terrified. Remus opened his door and got out, grabbing Harry's wheelchair from the trunk. He then opened Harry's door and helped him out. After Remus shut Harry's door, he noticed that Sirius was still in the Jeep. Remus sighed and then went and opened Sirius's door.  
  
Sirius was shaking slightly, and he grimaced at Remus when he opened his door. "Are you sure about this Moony?" he muttered.  
  
"Yeah, Sirius, it's going to be alright, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks, what can they do to you? Nothing! Now get out, lets go, we're going to celebrate!"  
  
Sirius reluctantly got out of the Jeep and Remus went to put some money in the parking meter. Sirius looked down grimly at Harry in his chair. "No using chair powers when we're on the muggle street, okay Harry."  
  
Harry nodded and practiced moving the chair by rolling the wheels. It was actually more fun that way he found. Remus started walking down the street confidently, as Sirius walked by slouching, trying to be unnoticed, and as Harry struggled to roll up a slight hill. When they made it inside the Leaky Cauldron, everyone turned to stare. They were quite a crew. Sirius Black, the ex-convict, Harry Potter, the invalid, and a werewolf. The people didn't say a word, but stared, gawked at the group.  
  
"Lets go," Remus mumbled, walking speedily to the end of the room where he could get to the entrance to Diagon Alley. Harry was using the wheelchair powers now, so he made it through smoothly. Sirius just looked scared as he walked through the crowds of witches and wizards. He had his arms crossed tensely in front of himself, he really looked as though he was trying to disappear inside of himself.  
  
Remus stepped up to the wall and tapped it, and waited for it to open fully. When finally it did, they all went through. Luckily for everyone, Diagon Alley wasn't very busy that night. They trekked down the street until they reached a fancy little building called, "The Magic Moment Inn". Remus stepped up to the door and held it open. Harry went through first, followed by Sirius, then Remus himself. Remus stepped up in front of both of them, knowing full well that they would want to be hidden as much as they could. They waited for the hostess to seat them for nearly five minutes, tension growing by the second. When she finally came however, the tension met it's peak.  
  
Remus almost fell over when he saw who it was.  
  
"Remus!" the hostess exclaimed. "I haven't seen you in so long!"  
  
Remus just stared at her, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. Sirius looked down at Harry, unable to see who the girl was. Harry couldn't see either so he just shrugged. Sirius became daring enough to peak around Remus and what he saw almost made him faint.  
  
"Sorai!" he yelled before pushing past Remus and wrapping the hostess in a huge bear hug.  
  
  
  
A/N: That's all for now folks! I hope you enjoyed that. I intended to make the trial longer, but how much could Fudge really ask??? Anyway, next chapter you'll see who Sorai is, I didn't intend to have an OC but I couldn't resist. Hopefully I'll be able to develop her good, it'll test my writing ability, and I'll try my hardest not to make her a Mary Sue! And keep in mind, I don't plan to have any romance in this story at all, I think it gets corny if there's too much of that! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!! 


	14. Chapter 14

**As one of my reviewers has already pointed out, there are some small mistakes in this chapter, so if you've all ready read it, its pretty much the same thing, I just couldn't leave it bad! What happened was I forgot to save before uploading it, so most of my revisions didn't make it onto fanfiction.net...my apologies, and thanks to Sirius Black for checking me on the teacher thing, I had changed it so I was like, "What is he/she (I don't really know what you are!) talking about?" Thanks for telling me though, I never would have noticed that it hadn't been fixed!**  
  
First, I'd like to say I'm sorry for taking so long to write this chapter...my goal was 2 a week during vacation, and it took me NINE days just to get this one out. New Years took a lot out of me...as well as a ski meet that I did VERY badly in...Please forgive me for taking so long, and I'll try very hard to get the next one out by Friday. Enough reviews and I may spit it out faster * hint, hint *  
  
Lucretio-del-alba: You were at the beach!!! We got approximately 20 inches of snow the day you reviewed and you were at the beach?!?! That's insane to me, I can't even fathom the idea...Thanks for the review, hope you like what's going on and that you like Sorai, cuz I thought it was time for a little femininity in the Lupin Loft.  
  
Squirrel Girl: Yeah, you should see New England now. We have mountains of snow after this last Nor' Easter, we can't see out of the front window of my house! It's insane to drive too cuz the bankings are so high you can't see what's coming around the corner! Sorai is not Sirius's girlfriend, you're about to see who she is though. I'm not much of a romance author, so that will probably, but not definitely, not be a part of this fic. Thanks for the review.  
  
Carolyn: Don't you hate computers some times? Mine always manages to malfunction at the worst possible time...Thanks for the review, hope you like who Sorai is, it's kind of sad really, enjoy!  
  
Juggling Stars: I'm glad you like my story so much, I really love writing it! It's so funny to hear about how you readers really get into my story...I do it with other stories as well, but mine just doesn't seem as great as some of the ones I read...Now, I'm really bad with this email update thing...I never remember! But when I do send them, I'll be sure to add your name, but don't expect one every time cuz I just forget or get kicked off the computer!  
  
Tinuviel: I'm so glad that my story finally moved you! I wish you had reviewed sooner, I like to hear what all my regular reviewers say and how it all progresses, but I'm happy you finally decided to! Now, I disagree that my story is the best, that title in my opinion belongs to Fairy Tale's stories, The Last Marauder and The Final Battle, they go together, if you haven't read them you really should! Thanks though for saying that about my fic! And this is one of my best reviews of all time, I just read it and smiled, so thanks very very much! I will have Remus coming up soon, but he's going to be a little while, just when everyone forgets that he's in turmoil, I'm going to go after him...I don't want this story getting too predictable. Thanks again, I hope you enjoy this one as much as the rest!  
  
A.Dee: Yeah, Sirius crying in the shower...I figured winning the trial couldn't be all happiness, not after what Sirius had heard and gone through...and thanks for the friend email, I didn't actually do it cuz I've gotten those a million times, but I do consider you and all my reviewers (except the one person who hated my story) my friends. Keep reviewing or I'll miss you!  
  
Amy Potter 13: What kind of a review was that? Write more next time, please! But I am keeping it up...just for the record : )  
  
Sirius Black: Yes, I freed Sirius...I just hope JKR decides to do the same...I pray she doesn't kill him off later on...I think I'd have to stop reading the series!  
  
Kimmy: Lol...I'm glad you liked the outcome...but seriously...who wants to Sirius rot in jail? Anyway, I figured you lived in England, do you ever get snow at all? If not I'll ship you some of mine, we got 20 inches a couple of days ago, can't step outside without getting snowblinded and you can't see out the front window because of the snow mountains! It's awful! BTW, I do like that snitch, its really cute!  
  
John: This next ones supposed to be a cliffhanger, but I really didn't write it so that it was overly suspenseful...hope you like it!  
  
Katie: I loved the Christmas Wish...Hope you got my review, it seriously brought me near tears! LOL, I didn't really think you didn't like my story, I just sometimes can't figure out what you mean! It was meant to be a very sad chapter, as was this new one, so be prepared...I must bring back some humor, don't you think? And yeah...Harry Sirius and Remus...I hate when people leave him out, I figure he's going to be just as close to Harry as Sirius, so how can we forget him? And I knew my story was going to get better as I went on, the things I write always do...Same with essays, I'll have a really bad intro and conclusion, but the middle stuff is usually awesome...Sorai is a fun character to write about, I hope I'm developing her alright, it's so hard to create an oc, I never would have expected it...hope you enjoy!  
  
Starlette (Maryanne): My Christmas was okay...just not the same as it usually is, so I it wasn't great...I don't want you to think I'm a scrooge! And I still blush about the Thanksgiving Blunder...To make matters worse I said Merry Christmas twice on New Years Eve... No lie! I'm such a ditz...I'm addicted to this fanfic stuff too, only I'm terrible embarrassed to have anyone I know find out...nobody, not even my family knows that I write this story, if they did they would pick on me beyond belief, they already do, knowing I read them...Anyway, I'm glad you liked the way I had Sirius's trial go, I agree about the instant freedom thing, it's no fun. I did my best to draw it out, but it was REALLY hard, I mean its so obvious he's innocent, especially under veritaserum...Okay, another dork moment for me, I got the name Sorai from this playstation game my sister got for Christmas, Kingdom Hearts. The main characters name is Sora, a guy, so I added an I and made her female...I don't want to give anything away, but I wanted the name to match Sirius...Keep reading and reviewing!  
  
"Sirius!" the girl shrieked, then checked her self. "What are you doing?!" she whispered, pulling away from his embrace. "You're going to get caught. I heard you are on the run from the ministry...what the hell are you doing here in broad daylight?"  
  
"Sorai, don't you read?! I had a trial today, I'm free, Sorai!"  
  
"What? Sirius! That's amazing! Congratulations!" she shrieked again, pulling Sirius into another hug.  
  
Harry looked highly confused, Remus still looked dumbstruck. Harry rolled up to Remus and pulled at his sleeve, breaking him from his reverie.  
  
"What's going on?" Harry asked as he saw that both Sirius and the girl were still hugging, tears running over their faces.  
  
Remus bent down slightly, grinning ear to ear. "That's Sirius's sister, we haven't seen her since before your parents died. We all thought she was dead as well."  
  
"Wow," Harry said amazed, and went back to watching the two.  
  
"What about you Sorai? What happened to you?" Sirius choked out.  
  
"Lets go somewhere and talk," she replied, pulling out of the hug and squeezing his hand. "But first," she said grinning, and turned to Remus and wrapped him in a hug. "I missed you Rem."  
  
"I missed you too Sorai," he replied, tears swimming in his eyes too.  
  
"And Harry! I haven't seen you since you were just a baby! How are you?" she shrieked, bending down to give him a hug.  
  
"Under the circumstances I'm fine...It's nice to--meet you," Harry replied.  
  
"Yeah, I'm Sirius's big sister, only by a year though, so don't go thinking I'm an old hen!" Harry grinned, thinking she was just like Sirius. They had very similar features, jet black hair, only hers was quite long, the same gray eyes sparkled on her tan complexion, and her nose was shaped the same as Sirius's as well. She was quite pretty Harry thought.  
  
Sirius cleared his throat and tried to dry his eyes, "We were just celebrating my freedom...will you join us, Sor?"  
  
"How could I miss it?! Just let me go talk to my boss, I'll be right back."  
  
Sirius watched her leave the small room and then turned with a huge grin. "I can't believe this Moony! I can't believe she's here! And she's been here for....who knows how long! I've missed her so much!"  
  
"I'm as amazed as you are Padfoot, if I had known...I would have...she could have helped so much," Remus said, at a loss for words over the shock of seeing her. Remus had been an only child and Sorai had been as much of a big sister to him as she had been to Sirius.  
  
After a moment of silence Harry looked around and grinned. Both of them looked as happy as Harry had ever seen them. Sirius looked happier than he had when the jury had reached their verdict and pronounced him free of all charges. Tears were swimming in their eyes and their cheeks were creased from their excessive smiling.  
  
Sorai came striding back into the room. "My boss said I could spend an hour with you, on the clock, and everyone's food would be on the house," she said grinning, "Follow me." She led them into a private little room with a round table, and they all sat around it. "Lets order, then talk."  
  
Everyone picked up their menus and hurriedly decided on an entrée. Nobody really wanted to eat, they just wanted to get talking. After everything had been ordered, Sirius's face became very stern, he looked at his sister and said, "What happened Sorai? Where have you been and why are you just popping up now?"  
  
Sorai looked down at the table for a moment, collecting her thoughts. She looked up at Sirius then Remus, "What did you guys think happened to me?"  
  
Sirius spoke first, "Two weeks before Lily and James died, you disappeared. Dumbledore told us that Voldemort had probably kidnapped you. No one thought it possible that you survived, as you were never seen or heard from again."  
  
Sorai nodded and looked at Remus who continued where Sirius had left off, "We couldn't imagine what else could have happened to you Sorai. I mean, for Sirius, he only knew you were gone for two weeks. He had no way of finding out if you had been found or whatever else...but me, it's been fifteen years Sor, why didn't you let anyone know you were okay?"  
  
Sorai looked at the table again then looked up, "I was captured by Voldemort, exactly two weeks before Halloween, the day Lily and James died. He and a couple of his death eaters took me from my house that night...they took me to some cave, somewhere...I still don't know. He interrogated me there, under the imperious curse. He sent a couple cruciatus curses my way as well, when I began to fight the imperious. I thought I was going to die. I was there with him up to the night he went to kill Lily and James, and even a little after. I knew he was going after them...but there was nothing I could do...I was heavily guarded by death eaters at all times..." Tears were streaming down her face as she gave the report, reliving the worst event she ever experienced. "I'm so sorry Sir, Harry."  
  
Sirius was crying as well. He felt his sister's pain like he felt his own. He tried to tell her that it wasn't her fault, but couldn't say a word. Harry did it for him, "I understand, it wasn't you fault at all. You're just lucky he didn't do the same to you."  
  
Sorai nodded gratefully at Harry, "He would have, if you hadn't stopped him Harry he would have come back and killed me. He told me...he said he was going to wait until he killed everyone...everyone I ever loved before he got me. He always came back from a killing and told me the details of it all."  
  
She started sobbing harder at this point, Sirius dragged his chair closer and put a comforting arm over her shoulder so she could continue. She stared meaningfully at Remus who still looked confused about why she had never presented herself to him. "Remus, you know how Melody died a week before James and Lily?"  
  
Remus nodded sadly, understanding what she was about to say. Silent tears started streaming down his face as well. Sorai continued, "Before he left he told me exactly what he was going to do...I tried to talk him out of it...I tried to talk him out of all the killings, but it never worked of course. He told me he was going to torture her for a while, like he had with me...get whatever information he could out of her...and then kill her." She took in a deep breath, trying to get control of her sobbing. "He came back that night...and told me that everything had gone as planned. Remus, that's why I never told you I was okay...I couldn't face you...knowing what I knew, and not doing anything about it. I'm so sorry Rem...I'm so sorry."  
  
Remus went over and wrapped Sorai in a tight hug. "It's okay Sor, it's okay...I understand...but I wish you hadn't done that. I could have used you so much. I lost everyone!"  
  
"I know, I know, and I'm sorry...Remus I'm so, so sorry!"  
  
"It's okay, you're here now, it's all okay."  
  
They held each other for a few minutes before pulling apart.  
  
Sirius still wanted to know the rest of what happened to his long lost sister. "What else happened Sorai?"  
  
Sorai took a deep breath and continued. "Halloween night he left, saying that he'd be back once the Potters were dead...and that he would be after my brother and his last friend next. When he said last friend, I knew something was up, as both Remus and Peter were still alive. I knew the Potter's had a traitor, and I knew it had to be Peter...it couldn't have been Remus after what had just happened to Melody...Do you know how hard it is to know something so vital and not be able to tell a soul? That was the worst of my capture. I could handle the pain, and everything...but I couldn't handle knowing what I knew. Anyway...when Voldemort didn't come back that night...I didn't know what to think. I didn't know what had happened to the Potters, or you two...and none of the death eaters would tell me anything. Voldemort himself was the only one to talk to me during that time. Anyway, days passed without any sign of Voldemort ever returning. One by one the death eaters left, until I was left completely alone...about a week and a half after James and Lily had been killed. I left the cave they were holding me in and stayed at the first rundown muggle hotel I could. I found a daily prophet a couple of days later and found out everything I needed to know. Voldemort dead...James and Lily dead...Sirius in jail...but I was overjoyed to hear that Harry was still alive. I couldn't believe it. Harry, without you...I'd be dead, Sirius and Remus too...we'd all be dead, as well as countless others."  
  
Harry grinned sheepishly at this, but didn't say a word.  
  
"And Remus, I knew you were okay as well...I had to make sure that my second brother made it out okay. About a couple days after I was freed I went to your house...I saw you through a window crying on your couch. I wanted to go in there...so badly...to make you feel better, but I just couldn't do it, Rem. I'm so sorry."  
  
Remus was crying again, remembering the pain he was in those first couple of weeks. He literally had no one left, he wished with all his heart that she had gone in when she saw him like that, but understood her reason's for staying away. He collected himself after a few moments and sat quietly in his seat. Harry also waited patiently for the mood to lighten. Sirius had stopped crying as well, and sat rubbing his sisters back, trying to calm her down. He whispered in her ear every now and then until finally the tears stopped falling. A half an hour of there time had already expired, and the food finally arrived.  
  
They all dug into their food, in complete silence for about ten minutes. Sirius finally spoke up, "I only have twenty minutes left with you...let's catch up."  
  
Sorai gave him a big smile, "Why don't you tell me how you managed to escape Azkaban?"  
  
Sirius nodded, he had become proud of his escape since he talked to Harry during his third year. He told Sorai about everything up to the night in the whomping willow. He had decided that the rest was Harry's story to tell to whom he pleased.  
  
Sorai however, wanted to know how Harry had come to stay with her brother and Remus, "So how does Harry come into this story?"  
  
Sirius looked at Harry, who nodded. "I had to live with my Aunt and Uncle since my parents died. It was pretty awful there...they used to- abuse me. One night a couple weeks ago, it got really bad, Uncle Vernon kicked me and I suddenly couldn't move," he said, signaling his chair. "They left me alone that night, unable to move from the floor. Luckily, Sirius sent me an owl...I didn't have a pen so I scratched help into the parchment and sent it back. In no time Sirius was at the Dursley's. Remus and he took me away to live with them. It's been great."  
  
Sorai grinned at him and then at the fatherly look on her brothers face. "I think Sirius needs him as much as he needs Sirius," she thought.  
  
"How long have you been there?"  
  
"Over a week...I kind of lost track of time,"  
  
"It's been a very emotional week," Sirius said, grinning.  
  
"Yes...what exactly happened today little brother?"  
  
Sirius threw her a glare, then changed it to a smile. He went into detail about the trial and the jury, but conveniently left out the part about Remus, and what Fudge had said at the end.  
  
Everyone was smiling at the end, no tears were in sight. With five minutes left, Sirius began asking his sister about her new life. She was apparently living in the apartments at the end of Diagon Ally.  
  
Sirius shook his head when he heard this, "Sorai, that's not safe, after what happened to you before you need to stay in a safer place than that."  
  
"Sirius, what do I have to worry about, Voldemort's gone, Harry here took care of that!"  
  
Harry looked down, as Remus and Sirius's faces darkened.  
  
"What?"  
  
Sirius responded, "Sorai, Voldemort's back, he was resurrected a couple months ago...Harry was there."  
  
Sorai gasped, "Back...how can he be back, Harry killed him."  
  
"Harry killed his body, but Voldemort was barely human anymore...his spirit was never killed, it just waited thirteen years to present itself. And now he has a body again," Remus explained calmly.  
  
"Sor, I can't let what happened to you happen again. You can't stay in that apartment. Come stay with us!"  
  
"No, Sirius I couldn't impose, I'll be fine where I am, I'll take the necessary precautions."  
  
"Do you know how hard it is to get the necessary precautions? We have Harry now, we know. You need to get a lot, and you can't do it alone...we already have everything you need, please come and stay with us?" Sirius begged.  
  
Sorai sighed, "I'll think about it...give me your address and I'll give you mine. We must stay in touch now that we've found each other again!"  
  
They exchanged the necessary information.  
  
"I must get back to work now," Sorai said, hugging everyone.  
  
"Bye Sorai, I love you," Sirius said.  
  
"Love you too Sir."  
  
"Bye Sor," Remus said.  
  
"Bye, it was...umm...nice to meet you," Harry said shyly.  
  
Sorai blew a kiss and then left the room.  
  
"Wow," Sirius said, "I can't even believe that just happened."  
  
"Me neither," Remus said exasperatedly.  
  
"She seemed nice," Harry threw in.  
  
The others just laughed at him.  
  
Sirius and Remus stood up and Harry backed away from the table. They left the restaurant and went home. The whole way Sirius and Remus were reminiscing about what they used to do to Sorai, how they would terrorize her. It was evident to Harry that Sorai had been one of those topics that they would never talk about; a topic never forgotten, but ignored.  
  
When they got home, they all went their separate ways. Remus went to his room to think, Sirius sat in the living room, clearly wanting to be alone, and Harry went up to his room, mainly to stay out of Sirius and Remus's hair. When he got there, he found an owl sitting on his bed, carrying a lovely red envelope. Harry stifled a laugh, knowing full well who it was from. He walked over, grabbed the envelope and ripped it open:  
  
"Harry! How could you have helped with that! Do you know how worried I was about Ginny, it seemed like I was in that fireplace for hours and when I get home it's to find Ginny, not even home! And her room filled with filibusters! How could you do that?! So here's what happened, I walk out of the fireplace and see my parents and even Bill, who was home for a bit, sitting around with worried looks. They were all in on it HARRY! And you were too! Anyway, after that they tell me to go see Ginny, it may be the last chance I'll ever get. I was almost crying Harry! Do you KNOW how embarrassing that was for me?!?! And then I go to her room, open the door, and set off about a hundred fire works!" Harry then began to hear laughter in his friends voice. Harry had been rolling on the floor laughing the whole time. "It was a pretty good joke though, I have to admit...sorry about the howler Harry, you'll have to come visit soon! Bye!"  
  
Harry burst into laughter again. Ron always acted before he thought.  
  
Harry turned to see Sirius and Remus come to his door, both grinning wildly. "So I guess Ron enjoyed his joke?" Sirius asked. Harry nodded through his laughter.  
  
"Did you hear the whole thing?" Harry asked.  
  
"Except the beginning," Sirius replied, shaking his head.  
  
"Well Harry, Sirius, best be getting to bed. We have a very big day tomorrow," Remus said secretively.  
  
"We do?" Harry said, confused. "What are we doing?"  
  
"Just a little remodeling...I imagine you're sick of sharing a room with this bozo."  
  
"Hey!" was Sirius's only reply, though he glared daggers at Remus.  
  
Harry on the other hand looked amazed. "You mean-you're going to give me my own room? Just mine?"  
  
Remus and Sirius both saw how the simple thought of his own room thrilled Harry, and they both smiled at him.  
  
"Yeah, just yours. You can decorate it however you want, and even help decide the shape and size. We're doing it magically, so we can adjust it exactly to your liking."  
  
"Rem, can we build a room for Sorai too? I'm going to get her out of Diagon Alley if it's the last thing I do, and we'll need the space..."  
  
Remus grinned at Sirius, seeing that his overprotective brother side was kicking in. Remus hadn't seen that side of Sirius for a very long time, and was rather happy to see it return. "Sure, Padfoot, we can build her a room."  
  
"Goodnight you two," he added before leaving the room.  
  
"Night," Harry and Sirius both replied.  
  
Harry turned to Sirius, "I never knew you had a sister, Sirius."  
  
"I had two actually, and a little brother. They were both killed by Voldemort when my parents were. Sorai was the last of my family...I couldn't believe I had lost her. That's why I never talked about her, I couldn't stand thinking about what I had lost....But we found her, and I'm never going to let anything happen to her again. Just like you...and Moony. I'm always going to watch out for you three. You're my family now."  
  
Harry could tell that Sirius was getting choked up. He rolled up to his godfather and gave him a hug. Sirius hugged back tightly, patting Harry's back. It was a short hug and they went their separate ways afterwards, getting ready for bed. Harry was ready first and he pulled himself onto his bed. Sirius had gone to the bathroom after Harry had brushed his teeth, and was in their for quite a while. Harry was starting to wonder where he was when he came through the doorway. His eyes were rimmed with redness, and it was obvious that he had been crying, but Harry didn't say anything. It was clear that Sirius didn't want to talk about what was bugging him, so Harry decided not to talk about it. Rather, he simply said, "Night Sirius."  
  
"Night Harry," Sirius replied in a scratchy voice. He went over and gave Harry a hug before getting onto his cot and covering himself with his blanket. Harry lay for a while starring at the ceiling, thinking about how his life had changed so much for the better. He had two people who really cared about him, more freedom than he had ever dreamed of, and was fed more than he would ever need. Sirius, however, was lying awake thinking about something else, his real family. He thought back to the day they had all died, and relived the pain he had felt. After no time, he was shaking with silent sobs. Harry heard the cot creak and looked over to see Sirius sobbing.  
  
He was uncertain what he should do in this situation. He was always the one being comforted, but was unsure of how to give it back to someone.  
  
"Sirius..." he began. "Are you okay?"  
  
He saw Sirius roll over to face Harry, then shake his head. He was trembling with his sobs. Sirius got up from his bed and sat down by Harry. He pulled him into a tight hug and buried his face in Harry's shoulder.  
  
"What's the matter?" Harry asked after a few minutes more of Sirius's sobs.  
  
Harry could tell Sirius was trying to collect himself to talk, but found it rather difficult to do. Harry just kept hugging him and rubbing his back comfortingly.  
  
Sirius finally calmed down enough to talk. "I just miss them so much. Seeing Sorai again reminded me of all the shit that's happened over the years. It's just too much Harry. My real family dies and then my second family, your parents, they leave me too...I miss them all so much..."  
  
"I know, I miss my parents too, and I don't even know them...I can't imagine what it must have been like for you."  
  
"It was hard...but I made it through alright...it's just too much right now, you know?"  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"So..." Harry began, curiosity getting the better of him, "How did they die?"  
  
Sirius sat up, and wiped his eyes, he took a deep, shaky breath and began to talk, "I was in my seventh year at Hogwarts when it happened. Sorai had already graduated and was living on her own. My other brother and sister weren't old enough to attend Hogwarts yet, so they were at home with my parents. It was just before Christmas break too...I was supposed to be going home to visit that year, Christmas at school just wasn't as fun as it used to be...So the marauders and I were busy spending our last couple of weeks together the way we always did, pranking the Slytherin's beyond what even they deserved. We had just gotten back to the common room after out most successful Snape prank ever to find Sorai sitting in a chair crying. I asked what she was doing there, and she told me, our family had been killed by Voldemort. I just broke down after that. My family was everything to me...I loved those two little brats more than anything, I was like their second parents...I always looked out for them..." Sirius took another shaky breath. Tears were steaming down his face and his voice cracked though his sobs but he kept telling the story anyway. "Voldemort had also claimed the lives of many other students I knew...Remus's parents died right before we graduated and your grandparent's and uncle were killed when we were just in fourth year...My family took James in after that, we were his second family...we were like brothers. The loss of my family hurt him just as badly as it hurt me..." Sirius broke down into heavier sobs.  
  
Harry hugged him tightly again. Voldemort had caused so much destruction when he was powerful the first time, Harry didn't even want to think about what he could do now.  
  
Once Sirius had calmed down a little more, Harry asked another question, "Why did he do it?"  
  
Sirius shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, "I don't really know...I think it's because we all had powerful families. Families who were already fighting the darkness he was trying to bring to the world...It was because our families were good."  
  
Harry nodded sadly and continued to hug Sirius while he cried. Harry figured eventually Sirius would stop, but it was soon apparent that Sirius's wounds ran deep. There was a lot of sadness buried deep inside Sirius that he hadn't been able to get out until now. Seeing his sister had reopened those old wounds that Sirius had never had an opportunity to let heal.  
  
After about 15 minutes of straight crying, Harry pulled away slightly. He didn't know what to do, so he did the only thing he could think of, "Do you want me to get Remus?"  
  
Sirius stared at Harry for a minute, contemplating the idea. Remus had always been there to help him through the pain, and he knew how best to deal with Sirius when he was upset like this. Sirius nodded, and watched as Harry got out of bed, climbed into his chair, and left the room. He hunched over and began sobbing into his hands.  
  
He didn't hear Remus enter, but soon felt his hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Remus's kind eyes staring into his sad ones. "What's wrong Padfoot?"  
  
Sirius shook his head, "Everything...Seeing Sorai...it brought back so much-so much pain. I can't handle it all Moony, I can't!"  
  
Remus nodded sadly. "I know its hard Sirius, but you never had time to get over what happened. There was too much on your shoulders then. But now...now you can take the time to get over it Sirius...You need to get over it. It's good that you're letting it all out finally, you need to do that more often. You can't leave it bottled inside, or all your feelings are going to drive you insane...Do you understand me?"  
  
Sirius nodded seriously, and tried stop crying by taking deep breaths. The result was him beginning to hyperventilate (This happens to me when I get really upset!). Remus looked panicked, "Sirius! Sirius! Stop breathing okay? Just calm down and don't breath deeply and make sure you let all of your breath out." Remus started rubbing Sirius's back as he tried to get control of his breathing. Soon he was breathing normally again, and his tears were slowing down.  
  
"Are you going to be okay?" Remus asked kindly.  
  
Sirius nodded then pulled Remus into a hug, whispering, "Thanks Rem."  
  
"Anytime, now go to sleep Padfoot." Sirius stood up to go back to the cot. Remus put a hand up to stop him. "Harry's sleeping in my bed, I'm taking the couch...you can have your own bed back for the night."  
  
Sirius just nodded his head and sat back down on the bed. All the covers had been pulled back so he laid down and Remus through them over him. "Night Sirius."  
  
"Night Remus, thanks."  
  
Remus then left the room. Sirius was still crying slightly, but he was finally able to shake his sad memories and go to sleep.  
  
The next morning, Harry woke up in Remus's bed and couldn't remember what had happened. Then it all flooded back to him, all the pain Sirius had been in the night before, and how helpless Harry had felt with him.  
  
Harry climbed into his wheelchair and went down the hall to Sirius's room. He peeked in to find that Sirius was sleeping peacefully in the bed Harry had been using. Harry grinned and then gasped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up quickly to see Remus looking down at him.  
  
"Is he okay?" Harry asked.  
  
"He was doing better when I left him, and it looks like he finally got to sleep. Lets not wake him though. After last night, he needs all the sleep he can get. Why don't you go take a bath and get dressed while I start breakfast?"  
  
"Okay, but I need some clothes...I have to go in there...do you think I'll wake him up?"  
  
Remus shook his head, "Remember, Sirius sleeps like the dead."  
  
"I hope you're right."  
  
Harry rolled into the room and went straight for the dresser. He pulled out some clothes for the day and then shut the drawer with a small bang. Sirius shot up straight in bed, wand ready to fire at Harry.  
  
Harry gasped in fright. After the events of his last year at Hogwarts, he was scared to have any wand pointing at him like that, even held by Sirius.  
  
When Sirius realized it was just Harry, he sighed, "Sorry Harry, reverting to my old ways...I used to be so paranoid...I guess I'm going back to that."  
  
"It's okay, Sirius, sorry I scared you...I was just getting some clothes," Harry said, holding them up. Sirius nodded. "I'll be in the shower...Remus is making breakfast."  
  
Harry then rolled out of the room as he saw Sirius lay back down with a sigh. "Poor Sirius," Harry thought for the millionth time since he had arrived at the Lupin Loft. "He never gets a moments peace." Little did Harry know that Sirius's peace was soon going to be disturbed even more.  
  
Harry went to the bathroom and took a quick bath. He then got dressed, this time managing to get dressed completely by himself. He brushed his teeth then headed down the stairs where he met Remus and a very disheveled Sirius. They sat at the table and were served bacon and eggs with toast. They ate in near silence, tension was running high in the room. When they all finished eating Remus took the plates and turned to Sirius. "You need to go get cleaned up. Go upstairs, get ready and the we'll start on the rooms."  
  
Sirius nodded and obeyed. Remus sighed after he left. "I haven't seen him this bad in a long time. We're going to have to be patient with him." Harry nodded his understanding.  
  
Harry went into the living room and watched a little television while they waited for Sirius. He came down after about a half an hour looking much better, but nowhere near as cheerful as usual. He sat by Harry and watched old Scooby Doo cartoons with him. Watching it somehow managed to cheer him up a little and soon he was messing around with Harry like he would have days before.  
  
First he leaned into Harry, causing him to fall over sideways on the couch. Harry sat back down and did the same to him. When he got back up he started tickling Harry, who laughed uncontrollably and flailed his arms, trying to make Sirius stop. Unlike the last time Sirius tickled Harry, Harry managed to kick his legs as well. When they both realized what Harry had done, they froze. Harry stopped laughing, but grinned like crazy, and Sirius grinned back before enveloping Harry in a hug. "I'm so proud of you Harry," he murmured.  
  
"Thanks," Harry replied, hugging back. "Are you feeling better?" Harry asked tentatively.  
  
Sirius nodded, "Thanks to you and Moony, I'm feeling much better....Lets say we go outside and have a little more fun with the squirrels before we start working on the rooms?"  
  
Harry nodded. Sirius went to grab wands and shoes and returned quickly. He helped Harry with his shoes before they both headed for the back door. They sat where they had days before and waited for squirrels. They shot some curses at the squirrels, but neither of them were having such a good time.  
  
"It's just not as fun without Ron," Harry said after the fifth squirrel pretended to be figure skating across the grass, doing figure eights and triple axles.  
  
Sirius nodded his head in agreement. "You want to try walking again?"  
  
Harry contemplated it for a moment then nodded his head. Sirius stood up and pulled Harry to his feet. Once Harry was standing, Sirius walked about ten feet away. "Walk to me, Harry, you can do it."  
  
Harry took his first tentative step without so much as teetering. He took several more, all successfully. He was walking very slowly but reached Sirius quite easily.  
  
"Great job Harry, now lets try what you couldn't do last time, see if you can turn around."  
  
Harry nodded grimly. He set one foot sideways and tried to bring the other around to it. He swayed a little, but managed to keep his balance. Sirius came up to him and patted his back, all the while Harry was smiling brighter than he had in days.  
  
"Okay, you up for a little walk around the yard?" Sirius said, pointing out the whole yard.  
  
"Sure," Harry said, "I just hope my legs don't tire too quickly."  
  
"If they do, I'll carry you back, no worries...lets go." Sirius walked at a very slow pace so Harry could keep up, and he stayed near by so he could catch Harry if his legs gave out, after all they hadn't been used in over a week. They walked for nearly ten minutes, and found themselves in a small wooded area. Harry tripped on a root and fell flat on his face.  
  
"Harry, are you okay?" Sirius said, bending down to help Harry up.  
  
"I'm fine...but what's this?" Harry said, leaning up on his elbows and dusting off the edge of what looked like a very old shoebox.  
  
Sirius knelt down and pulled the box entirely out of they ground. "Oh my God...things just keep resurfacing these days," he murmured.  
  
"What is it?" Harry asked.  
  
"This is the marauder box. Summer after first year we all put stuff in it, and buried it. Our plan was to open it up again when we turned thirty, but that obviously never happened."  
  
"So, this was Remus's house when he was a kid?"  
  
Sirius nodded, "His parents left it to him when they died. Good thing Voldemort didn't blow it up like he did your house, or Remus would have been completely homeless when he graduated."  
  
"What's in the box?" Harry asked.  
  
"I don't remember...lets bring it to Moony and open it with him."  
  
"Okay," Harry said, trying to get back to his feet. Sirius grabbed his hands and pulled him up.  
  
"Think you can make it, Harry?" Sirius asked, looking at the weary expression on his godson's face.  
  
"I'm going to try," Harry replied. Sirius grinned at his determination. Harry had already shocked Sirius at his progress, and he was still ready to do more. They headed back towards the house, Harry getting progressively slower. After five minutes or so, Harry fell down again. "I don't think I can make it Sirius," Harry said dejectedly from the ground.  
  
Sirius knelt down to his level. "You've done awesome Harry, never did I think you would progress this quickly. We'll have to try the stairs soon. I think that chairs going to have to go, huh?"  
  
Harry nodded. Sirius easily picked Harry up from the ground and noticed that Harry weighed significantly more than he had when he first arrived. It was amazing what a little love and food did for him. He still didn't weigh what he should, but it was clear that eventually he'd be normal again.  
  
Sirius walked towards the house with Harry in his arms. When he reached the deck, he set Harry back down in a lounge chair and called for Remus. He then took a seat in a lounge chair himself. They waited and chatted for a while, until Remus came outside and asked what was up.  
  
Sirius stood up and brought the box to his friend. Remus's face went from curious to shocked in a matter of seconds. "Is that what I think it is?"  
  
Sirius nodded. "Harry...erm...fell on it. I thought we should open it with you."  
  
Remus grinned and sat at the edge of Harry's chair. Sirius handed him the box and waited for him to open it, while holding his breath. Remus pulled off the cover and looked into the dingy box. The first thing he pulled out was a pink feather.  
  
Sirius burst into laughter. "That's from when we turned Snape into a pink flamingo!"  
  
Harry started laughing too. Remus just smiled. Next he pulled out an old photograph. It showed the four marauders jumping up and on the dormitory beds. Harry could easily figure out who each of them was, and even mistook his father for himself. "Man, I really do look just like my dad," he said. Sirius and Remus both nodded in agreement.  
  
"It's amazing really," Sirius said. "What else is in there, Rem?"  
  
Remus dug around some more and pulled out a battered wizards hat, and frowned, "Peter's old wizard hat."  
  
Sirius put on a face of pure fury and muttered a spell. The hat was instantly in flames. Remus hurried to move on. "Remember this, Sirius?" Remus asked, holding up a gold ring with rubies in it.  
  
"Yeah, we saved all our money that year to buy that...Gryffindor colors. We were going to buy one for each of us...I guess we forgot about that." Sirius said, sliding the ring onto his pinky.  
  
Remus looked deeper in the box and gasped. "What is it?" Sirius asked, unsure of what would change Remus's mood so quickly.  
  
Remus pulled out something white, "The tooth of the werewolf that bit me. That's something I was hoping to never see again."  
  
Sirius nodded solemnly.  
  
Remus then pulled out a piece of paper and read it aloud, "Where we should be when we read this again: Sirius-running a joke shop, Remus- father of many kids (With Melody), James-auror, Peter-wizard lawyer." Remus looked at the paper sadly.  
  
"Well none of that happened," Sirius replied sadly, shaking his head."  
  
Remus pulled out a few more photographs and then the final item, a long gold necklace with a pendant of the letters JP hanging on it. Harry looked sadly at the necklace, knowing instantly that it had belonged to his father.  
  
"Wow," Sirius said. "I can't believe we forgot about all this."  
  
"Me neither," Remus replied. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "Harry why don't you keep the box?"  
  
"Me?" Harry said startled.  
  
"Yeah you," Sirius said, shoving Harry with his shoulder.  
  
"But...I couldn't. Those are your memories, not mine."  
  
"Call it inspiration. It will remind you of the way things used to be at Hogwarts, and you'll always have something of us," Sirius said, squeezing Harry's shoulder. Harry nodded, accepting the box.  
  
"Thanks," Harry said quietly.  
  
There was a short moment of silence, where everyone was thinking about their own thing. Harry took out his fathers old necklace and put it on, slipping it under his shirt. It wasn't something he wanted to flaunt, but he wanted to keep it close.  
  
They were about to head inside when an owl flew right up to Sirius. He took the letter and read it aloud, "Sirius, There's been an attack on Diagon Alley, I'm holed up in my apartment right now. Voldemort's still out their Sirius, and I'm afraid he might come here next. I don't know what to do. Please come and help, I'm scared. I should have listened Sirius, I'm sorry. Love, Sorai."  
  
"Shit!" Sirius yelled before running off into the house. Harry and Remus heard him yell, "Diagon Alley." Harry tried to get up, looking very worried. Remus pushed him back down onto his seat.  
  
"There's nothing you can do Harry, Sirius will be fine. Don't worry, okay?" Remus said, not wanting Harry to freak out like he had when Sirius had been taken by the ministry. Harry nodded. Remus sighed in relief that he had convinced Harry, he just wished he could convince himself.  
  
  
  
Soooooooo....Did ya like it? Please tell me, cuz I need to know. I hope I didn't make Sirius too much of a cry baby. I'm trying to show that he's having an emotional breakdown, hope it's working. Anyway, I will try very hard to get the next chapter out as soon as possible. Please Review...Everyone! 


	15. Chapter 15

This chapter was really fun to write, and I don't really know why, it just came really easy and I had it ready in no time! I hope you like it, make sure you read and review too!  
  
Lee Lee Potter: I wasn't sure if I was portraying the breakdown correctly, or if Sirius just seemed like a cry baby...everyone's said it was obvious that he was having a breakdown though, so I guess I don't have to worry too much. And I'm definitely going to try to cut down on the tears, I really have too many! I was thinking about Sorai being a trap, but I decided against it, Sirius needs some real family in his life, and she's going to give him that.  
  
Ann: Did you read the rest? I hope you liked it all just as much, I'm trying to keep the suspense up like when Harry's heart stopped, but it just isn't working! Please stick with the story though!  
  
Carolyn: I'm glad you like the length, I'm trying to make my chapters kind of longer, but what looks like long in word is completely different than on fanfiction.net. this chapter is about 24 pages, but it probably won't look anywhere near that when you read it...Anyway, I'm glad you didn't think Sirius got too emotional, I honestly wish I had written that differently, but I'm just going to leave it as is.  
  
Moonlight: No, they never get a break, but I'm going to make sure they get one pretty soon, so have no fear, although this chapter doesn't show any of that slowing down anytime soon...I actually think Sirius would get through if Sorai died, and I don't plan for her to, but who knows...Sirius has a hard time, but I'm trying to build him up to be the kind of guy who can deal with anything. And, it'll be a while before you learn what's going to happen with Remus, so be patient...  
  
A.Dee: Nope, I would never let Sirius go insane, the closest he'll ever get to that is any scene with Wormtail, and you've already seen some of that. I'm glad you like my OC, I'm not sure I like writing her though...I'm having trouble thinking about how I want her to fit in throughout the rest of the fic...But I'm sure I'll think of something!  
  
BuzzBuzz16: Thank. You. Very. Much. LOL, I'm glad you liked it, thanks for reviewing, but you can use less periods next time : )  
  
Squirrel Girl: Well I'm glad I'm your favorite author in the universe, makes me smile! I agree that Orlando Bloom is hot, but where did that come from? Also, I didn't really understand the rest of the review, lol, "Son. Get torcered?"? But that's okay, I've had many reviews that I didn't quite understand! Sorry I couldn't make the squirrels funnier this time, I think its time to retire them!  
  
Kanzer: Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like my story : )  
  
Sirius Black: I'm glad you don't think Sirius cried too much, I really think I overdid it a little, but only one person seems to agree with me, so I must have done something right, right? And thanks for telling me about my little faux pas with the job thing, I actually did catch that, but didn't save when I revised, so I sent out by first raw copy of that chapter, its been replaced, though I don't remember what I had Remus doing...check and see if you want...  
  
Amy Potter 13: I was just kidding about the review, no matter what you say in it, I'm glad I get those reviews, yours just left me with little to say back....so don't be sorry about the reviews!  
  
John: I agree that there was too much crying, I'm going to try to cut back on that...I definitely overdid it, but you're the only one who agrees with me! And I'm so happy everyone seems to like the Marauder Box, it's pretty cheesy, but I got it from the movie Crossroads with Brittany Spears...mines better though : )  
  
Padfoot1979: I'm glad you and everyone else is enjoying Sirius's breakdown so much (hehehe) I'm really having so much fun writing him like that, but I really think I overdo it sometimes. I will keep working hard, if you keep reviewing : )  
  
Gil-Caleb: Well, I'm glad I got Sirius acting the way someone in his position would do in reality. To be honest, I've never dealt with any death in my life, the closest person I've know to die was the mother of a sorta friend....So, I really don't know how it all works that well, what mourners go through. Sirius will get a break soon, but these ideas keep coming into my head! I pretty much have a rough idea of how I want the rest of this story to go, and it only involves a little more Sirius agony...Now, I'm not going to make any promises with Remus, I know exactly what I want to have happen, and you're not going to find out for a while...but if people keep asking me about it, I'm going to lose it and put it in sooner than planned...I want to tell everyone so badly! And I completely agree about a home needing a woman, as you should see in this chapter...hope you like it!  
  
  
  
When Sirius arrived in Diagon Alley, he immediately wished he hadn't. Dead bodies were strewn, throughout the street. Young and old, men and women, lay motionless in their own pools of blood. There must have been fifty or so dead bodies there, all innocent people in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sirius gasped when he saw the sight, it had not been what he was expecting at all. Down the street away, he saw that the battle was still raging, and by the looks of it, it was getting closer and closer to where Sorai lived. Sirius wasted no time, and began sprinting towards the battle, wand raised, curses on his lips. When he got close enough to be seen, he stepped into the shadows and edged along the walls of shops and restaurants. Whenever a deatheater neared him, he'd quietly stun them before they could let anyone know he was there. He was almost to the apartment building Sorai had told him about, when he heard a high pitched laugh. Sirius turned to see Voldemort coming out from behind the building, dragging Sorai by her beautiful, long, black hair.  
  
"Shit," Sirius muttered to himself, "I'm too late." Sirius racked his mind for something smart and cunning to do, but as always, came up empty. Rather, he decided he just had to go out there and pry his sister away. "What about Harry?" echoed in the back of his mind, but he ignored it for the time being. He stepped out of the shadows and began stunning every deatheater in sight. He was quite successful and nailed almost all of them, the rest fled at the sight of their fellow men. Soon it was just Voldemort, Sorai and Sirius, as well as the countless dead.  
  
"Let her go!" Sirius yelled fiercely, wand ready to fire.  
  
Voldemort cackled, "Oh...and why would I do that? She was quite a nice pet during my first round, I think I want to keep her again."  
  
Sirius sent a disarming spell at Voldemort, but nothing happened, Voldemort just continued to laugh insanely. "You think you can hurt me Sirius Black? You are sadly mistaken...I do believe, however, that I can hurt you....crucio!"  
  
Sirius was hit hard with the cruciatus curse. He fell to the ground and writhed in pain, curling into the fetal position, trying to ease the pain. Nothing worked however. Sirius could hear his sister sobbing through his own screams, and wished he could help her, but he was dealing with too much at the moment. After what seemed like an eternity, Voldemort took the curse off him. He struggled to get back to his feet, but found it difficult to do, the cruciatus had taken a lot out of him. He stumbled towards Voldemort and his sister.  
  
"Let her go now, Voldemort...or I swear you'll regret it!" Sirius muttered irately.  
  
Voldemort cackled again as he watched the weakened man stumble towards him. He pulled Sorai up by the hair, "I think I'll kill him now, so you can see your brother die, like he should have done the first time I had you!"  
  
"No!" Sorai yelled between sobs. "Please have mercy!"  
  
Sirius muttered another few spells at Voldemort, but none had any effect on him what so ever. Sirius was unsure if it was just Voldemort or if he simple couldn't manage a decent spell since he left Azkaban. Voldemort was still clinging tightly to the ends of Sorai's hair, so Sirius couldn't apparate her out without taking Voldemort along as well. He also knew it was hopeless to continue to try to fight Voldemort, he'd simply die. The voice reminding him of Harry finally took control. Sirius had a plan.  
  
He dropped to the ground by his sisters feet, hoping it would look like he just collapsed. He desperately pointed his wand up at Voldemort and muttered a spell, so quietly that no one would no what it was. At the same time he grabbed Sorai's hand tightly and tried to apparate to Hogsmeade. Before he made it, however, Voldemort threw one last curse at him. Sirius grimaced in pain, but kept his concentration on apparating out. The last thing he needed was to splinch himself and his sister right in front of Voldemort.  
  
They flew through darkness for a few seconds, before landing with a thud on a street in Hogsmeade. Sirius didn't know what he had been hit with, but knew that he had just been hurt pretty badly.  
  
Sorai bent down next to him, "Sirius..." she whispered, "Sirius, are you okay? I'm so sorry Sirius...please look at me...answer me!"  
  
Sirius shook his head slightly and moaned in pain. "Castle...Dumbledore...Now!" He muttered before blacking out. Sorai pulled her wand out and conjured a stretcher under her brother. She then took off up the road to Hogwarts, her brothers limp body leading the way.  
  
When she reached the entrance to the castle she was shocked and astonished to see that the doors were locked. "They lock the castle? Who's going to break in?" she thought to herself, annoyed and worried. She banged on the door several times, as hard as she could, but no one came. Sorai broke down at this point. She sat down on the steps of the castle, her brother laying unconscious next to her, and sobbed into her hands. She looked over at her brother and whispered, "Hold on Sirius, please hold on...I don't know what to do!" She layed her head down on her brothers chest and sobbed some more. Suddenly, the door burst open, startling Sorai and making her jump into a defensive stance. She relaxed, but only slightly when she looked into the familiar face of Severus Snape.  
  
He looked at her for a moment, stunned, "Sorai Black? But...you're dead..."  
  
"No, I'm not, I'm very much alive, but my brother barely is! Please help him!"  
  
Snape got over his shock and walked over to where Sirius lay in a stretcher. Snape snarled at the sight. "Get over it, Severus, okay? You know he's innocent, can't you put your hatred aside for one moment and save his life?"  
  
"Why should I when he was so quick to spare mine?" Snape snarled.  
  
Sorai sobbed, "Because that was over twenty years ago! Things change...people change! Why can't you?"  
  
Snape looked at her for a moment, calculatingly, and then nodded his head. He levitated Sirius and steered him into the castle and up to the hospital wing, Sorai following close behind. When they reached the room, Madam Pomfrey came bustling out and then stopped dead in her tracks, "Mr. Black! What has happened to him?"  
  
"There was an attack on Diagon Alley...So many people died...Sirius came to save me and got me out just in time, but got hit with some kind of curse just as we were apparating here...when we reached Hogsmeade he collapsed, told me to take him and then passed out!"  
  
"Oh you poor dear, go lay down in a bed and I'll see to you in a while...Severus, please place Mr. Black on one as well." Snape did as ordered, rougher than necessary, but he did it none the less.  
  
Pomfrey went over to the bed and hurriedly closed the curtains around the bed. She then popped her head out. "Severus, please go get Albus as soon as possible." Snape left at once to fetch the headmaster.  
  
Madam Pomfrey set to work on Sirius immediately. She found that he had been hit with a curse meant to stop his heart, but it wasn't aimed well, so it just damaged a few of his vital organs. He was near death, however, as most of the organs were beginning to shut down completely. Thankfully, Madam Pomfrey was an expert at healing organs, and had them back and running smoothly in no time. Sirius was still not waking up however.  
  
Madam Pomfrey decided to let him sleep for a while and went to check on Sorai instead. She was lying restlessly on a bed nearby, staring sadly at the ceiling. Pomfrey brought her a cup of hot tea and sat at the edge of the bed.  
  
"Are you okay dear?" she asked, startling Sorai out of her reverie.  
  
Sorai shook her head, but accepted the cup of tea.  
  
"How's Sirius, is he going to be alright?" she asked worriedly.  
  
"He'll be just fine, although I will not hide from you how Sirius his condition was."  
  
Sorai nodded sadly and looked down into her tea. She looked up again when she heard the hospital wing door swing open. She saw Albus Dumbledore for the first time in over fifteen years, stride over to where she was lying in bed.  
  
"Miss Black, what a pleasure to see you, alive and well!" Dumbledore said happily. Sorai nodded shyly and he continued. "It sounds like you've had quite the day, would you care to tell me about it."  
  
She told him all about the attack, the letter she sent, and what she knew of how Sirius had saved her. She still wasn't quite sure how he had done it. Dumbledore looked puzzled for a moment and then asked, "Why didn't you just apparate out when the battle began?"  
  
She looked at her blanket, ashamed, "I guess you forgot, I never got my apparation license, I just can't do it without getting splinched."  
  
"Oh yes, I remember now," Dumbledore said thoughtfully, you were a very rare case. Never before have I had to deal with someone losing only their head. I do believe you gave young Mr. Madison quite a fright when he found your head lying near Honeydukes."  
  
Sorai blushed fiercely and nodded.  
  
"I have but one more question for you Miss Black," Dumbledore said.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Where do you get you hair done...I do believe I want to steer clear of that shop."  
  
"Huh?" Sorai said, she had always prided herself on her hair, she reached up and found that it was up to about her neck where it used to go down to her mid-back, and it was all choppy.  
  
"SIRIUS!" she shrieked. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY HAIR?!"  
  
A low murmur was heard from the other side of the curtain and then, "Waa?"  
  
She jumped out of bed and stalked to the curtain before tearing it back.  
  
"What did you do to my hair?!?!"  
  
Sirius looked up blearily and then started to laugh. He hadn't realized that he had done it quite like that. She did look pretty funny.  
  
"You think this is funny?!" she shrieked.  
  
Sirius nodded and tried to get his laughter out, "Sorry Sor, the only way I could get you out was to break the physical connection between you and Voldemort...He was holding your hair, so it had to go!" He was still laughing, but she didn't care anymore, remembering that he had just saved her life.  
  
She walked up to him and wrapped him in a hug. "Thanks little brother...I just wish you could have styled it better!" She joked and then kissed him on the cheek and hugged tighter. "Can I still take you up on that offer?"  
  
"What offer?" Sirius asked.  
  
"To live with you and Remus and Harry...you were right, it's really not safe in Diagon Alley."  
  
"Of course! And it wasn't an offer...if you hadn't come in a couple of days I would have forced you to come and stay with us."  
  
Sorai put on a skeptical face, but nodded anyway. "I'm so sorry Sirius, I should have listened from the start, I put you in so much danger...you could have died!"  
  
"But I didn't...It's okay Sorai, I don't care, we're both fine and that's all that matters...but what happened? I guess I kind of blacked out there, huh?"  
  
Sorai nodded seriously. "We got to Hogsmead right after Voldemort hit you with that curse, you collapsed so I had to levitate you up here. Severus came to the door and it took a while, but I convinced him to let you in...I think it's time for you two to put your differences aside, by the way."  
  
Sirius rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, yeah...what curse did Voldemort hit me with?"  
  
"The heartstopper," Dumbledore broke in, "But he missed the heart. He apparently did some considerable damage to some other organs, but Poppy managed to fix you back up. You're very lucky Mr. Black."  
  
Sirius nodded, thinking he wasn't lucky for himself, but for the fact that he'd still be around for Remus and Harry, as well as Sorai. The thought of Harry and Remus brought him back to reality. "Harry and Remus! They must be worried sick! They probably think I'm dead...has anyone told them anything?!"  
  
"Calm down Mr. Black," Dumbledore said. "They haven't been informed yet, but they will, you need not worry. I will leave you know and go tell the personally. You go back to bed, you need rest." Sirius nodded and laid back in bed. Sorai gave him one last peck on the cheek and returned to her bed. They were both asleep in minutes.  
  
Back at the Lupin Loft, Sirius was right in that Harry and Remus were worried sick. They were both sitting in the living room, getting ready for dinner.  
  
"He's been gone all day Remus...we should have heard from him by now! Something isn't right!"  
  
"I know Harry, but there's nothing we can do now but sit and wait. We'll know what's happened soon enough...just be patient." Remus said soothingly.  
  
"I can't Remus! He could be out there, dead! Or lying hurt in the street, while we just sit here thinking, 'where is he?'!"  
  
Remus shook his head, "Or he could be on his way home right now with Sorai! Harry, it's not going to help to freak out like this, you need to calm down, okay?"  
  
Harry frowned and then nodded his head. He couldn't stop worrying, but decided it was best to keep his mouth shut for the time being. Remus was relived at this, because Harry's wild imagination was beginning to frighten him. After a while, they went to the kitchen and ate dinner solemnly. Neither saying very much, except for the occasional pass the potatoes, etc. After they were both nearly done eating, they heard the fireplace ring. "Sirius," Harry yelled, and stood up without thinking, nearly falling over in the process. He steadied himself on the table. Remus stepped up to him, and stared sadly into his hopeful eyes. "Harry, its not Sirius, he can get in without the bell."  
  
Harry's face fell, and he slowly sat back down in his chair. Remus shook his head sadly and walked into the living room. "Albus Dumbledore," Harry heard. His curiosity was raised at that, he went into the living room, just as Dumbledore was stepping out of the fireplace. He looked grim to Harry, whose heart was in his throat the whole time.  
  
"Remus, Harry, I'm sure you're all wondering where Sirius is?"  
  
They both nodded vigorously.  
  
"First I would like you to know, that Sirius fought a very brave battle today..." he trailed off as he saw Harry break into sobs.  
  
"He's dead isn't he! I knew it...why'd he have to go...why?"  
  
"Mr. Potter, my dear boy, I suggest you listen to the rest of my story before you break down like that," Dumbledore said with the familiar twinkle in his eye.  
  
Harry looked up at him, bewildered, "But...brave battle...it just...sounded..."  
  
"Yes, I'm terribly sorry about that Mr. Potter, perhaps I didn't choose my words very well. Sirius is indeed still alive in well, as is his sister, much to my surprise."  
  
"Thank God," Harry muttered, blushing crimson because of his little outburst.  
  
"But where is he?" Remus asked, putting an arm around Harry's shoulder, hoping to ease his embarrassment. It didn't work.  
  
"He's currently at Hogwarts, under the eye of Madam Pomfrey."  
  
"What happened? Why's he there?" Harry asked rapidly, very worried again.  
  
"Mr. Potter, do try to calm down," Dumbledore said chuckling. "Before apparating out of there with his sister, Voldemort hit him with a heartstopping curse. Fortunately, he didn't aim well, but he still caused some serious injury. Sirius almost died, but Miss Black managed to get him to the castle in time. Madam Pomfrey managed to heal all his wounds. He'll be fine. She just wants to keep him there for the night, you understand I'm sure Mr. Potter."  
  
Harry nodded sheepishly. Then looked sad again, "So we can't see him until tomorrow?"  
  
"Actually, I was wondering if you two might like to keep Mr. And Miss Black company for the night."  
  
Harry was over the moon about the idea, and showed it, "Oh yeah! Lets go! I'll go get my stuff!"  
  
Remus laughed at his exuberance and followed him up the stairs, "We'll be right back down Albus, make yourself comfortable."  
  
Harry zoomed around the room, gathering everything he would need in a bag. He was ready in no time and went to wait in the hall for Remus. After five minutes, he was getting impatient. "Remus! C'mon!" He heard Remus laugh and grinned to himself. After a few minutes, Remus also stepped out with a bag. They then went downstairs to meet Dumbledore.  
  
"Are you both ready?...Good! Lets go, say what I say in the fire place and you'll make it there no problem."  
  
"Wait," Remus said, "Harry do you want to try this without your chair? I think it would do a lot better for flew powder and all those stairs."  
  
"Well I haven't tried stairs yet...but I'm up for it...can you help me stand though?"  
  
Remus nodded and stepped up to Harry, pulling him into a standing position.  
  
Dumbledore then went through the fireplace, followed by Harry and then Remus. They arrived in Dumbledore's office, which was thankfully only one floor away from the hospital wing. They set off immediately for the hospital wing, slower than they normally would due to Harry's gait. When they arrived in front of the door, Dumbledore put up a finger to his lips to silence them, not wanting them to wake the people behind the door. Remus and Harry nodded their understanding and pushed past Dumbledore and opened the door. Remus stepped through first, but stopped dead when he saw Madam Pomfrey. Harry, not expecting this, ran right into Remus, and quickly lost his balance. Dumbledore lunged forward to try to steady Harry, but leaned forward too far, knocking Harry deeper into Remus. Soon they were all on the floor, in a tangled mess, after making a whole lot of noise. While they were trying to untangle themselves and stand up, they heard someone break into hysterical laughter. They all stopped and looked up to see Sirius, bent over in bed, laughing like mad. Soon they all started laughing too, and hurried to get off the floor. As fast as Harry could, he walked over to Sirius. He stopped several feet away, turning very serious. Remus went to talk to Sorai, and Dumbledore decided it was best to just leave them to themselves.  
  
"Sirius..." he began before closing the gap between them and embracing his godfather tightly. "I was so worried...when you didn't come back...and then Dumbledore..."  
  
Sirius laughed lightheartedly and squeezed Harry. "I'm fine Harry, no need to worry now."  
  
"You should have heard Dumbledore though, he came over and was like, 'Sirius fought a very brave battle' and I lost it! I thought for sure you were dead!" He said, squeezing Sirius tighter.  
  
Sirius patted his back comfortingly, "Well, I did fight a very brave battle," Sirius joked, "But honestly, I recall telling you that I would never leave you, that I'd always be there for you...I do intend to keep that promise you know."  
  
Harry nodded, and said bitterly "But sometimes, it just doesn't work out...Wormtail made a promise and did he keep it?"  
  
Sirius felt and looked truly hurt by this comment. "Harry...I..."  
  
Harry felt really bad for saying that, "Sorry, that was a really bad example...I'm just saying sometimes people can't keep there promises. I meant nothing about you personally, I just know...I know that sometimes people can't keep promises."  
  
Sirius nodded sadly, "But I'm going to do all I can to make sure that I keep this one...I swear Harry."  
  
"I know, Sirius, I know," Harry said with a smile.  
  
"So what happened?"  
  
Sirius immediately tensed but told him everything anyway. "It was awful Harry, the worst I've ever seen Voldemort do...and he almost got me, too. If I hadn't done that to Sorai's hair, the Black family would be completely gone...forever."  
  
"Am I the last Potter? I mean in my line?"  
  
"Yeah, Harry, you are. That's why you're parents had two children, but one just didn't make it to be a father...and you're parents never had a chance to have more kids."  
  
"I hope I can keep the Potter name alive..." Harry said wistfully.  
  
Sirius smiled and ruffled Harry's hair, "I'm sure you will Harry, I'm sure you will. You have a lot of endurance, you know that, bud? Whatever you want will happen someday. Look at you now, walking all the way here! Did you even bring your chair?"  
  
Harry shook his head, trying not to smile. "Well, my legs are getting a bit tired..." Harry said, "I'm not doing that good."  
  
"Yeah you are Harry! Some people go through the same injury you did, and never walk again...and you've done it in just a week! Harry that's excellent! But don't wear yourself down, sit down here," he said pushing over a bit. Harry took a seat on the side of the bed. "I'm glad you're okay Sirius."  
  
Sirius grinned at him, "Thanks Harry...sorry we didn't get to do the rooms today."  
  
Harry smirked, "Do you really think I care that much about the room?"  
  
"Well, you looked so excited when Remus told you, I thought...."  
  
"I was excited, but without you around, what would be the point?"  
  
Sirius smiled, his eyes watering, and wrapped Harry in another hug. "Love you, Harry," he muttered.  
  
"Love you too."  
  
They sat back and started talking about random things until Remus and Sorai interrupted them a while later.  
  
"So you survived another battle?" Remus said sarcastically.  
  
"Yup, but I got me another battle wound!" Sirius said proudly. Remus just shook his head, before walking over and giving Sirius a man hug.  
  
"Nice job on Sorai's hair by the way, too bad we never thought of that one at Hogwarts, huh?" Remus said grinning, that is until Sorai elbowed him in the ribs. Harry looked confused for a moment until he got a good look at Sorai. He then burst out laughing.  
  
Sorai glared at him, hands on hips, "Not you, too? Gaaah!" She then flopped down dramatically on the bed next to her brother, who lifted some of the shortened hair and examined it.  
  
"Really Sor, I don't think it's that bad..." he said with an evil grin.  
  
"I'd punch you write now, but I don't know where you were hurt...that and you did save my life," she replied matter-of-factly.  
  
"I did it cuz I love ya!" Sirius said in a childish voice, before reaching up to hug her. "And I'll forgive you if you get it cut, even though it hurts that you don't like my design."  
  
Sorai pushed him playfully in the arm, and he gasped in pain.  
  
She got all worried and started rubbing his arm, "Oh my God Sirius, I'm sorry!"  
  
Sirius grinned at her then, and she realized he had just been messing with her. "You jerk!" she yelled, punching him, "Some things never change."  
  
"And I hope to keep it that way," Sirius added.  
  
Sorai just rolled her eyes and then yawned. "It's getting late, I'm going back to bed. Night all." She gave a wave and headed for her bed.  
  
"Me too," Remus said standing and stretching his arms over his head. He took a bed on the other side of Sirius's.  
  
"I guess I should too," Harry said, yawning. He gave Sirius a quick hug and then stood up. He then immediately fell flat on the floor, very ungracefully. Sirius burst into laughter, and peeked down to the floor. Harry glared at him and tried to get up, but it was helpless.  
  
"Looks like your sleeping on the floor tonight, Harry," Sirius said, before flopping back on his pillows dramatically.  
  
"Sirius! Help me!" Harry said angrily.  
  
"Oh, you mean you want me to help you? I thought I was the injured one here."  
  
Harry again glared. Sirius threw him a grin and then climbed out of his bed. "You know I'd never leave you down there like that."  
  
"Sometimes I wonder," Harry replied sarcastically, as he grabbed Sirius's arms and pulled himself off the floor. His legs were still to weak, and he had really tired them out that day, so he had to hobble to his bed with Sirius's arms wrapped around him for support. When he was finally tucked away into bed, Sirius whispered, "Goodnight," before heading back to his bed.  
  
"Night," Harry responded before falling into the best sleep he had had in years.  
  
When he woke the next morning, to see that no one else was still in bed. He scanned the room to see them standing in a far off corner talking with Dumbledore. They all had very grim expressions on their faces. In fact, both Sirius and Remus looked ready to cry.  
  
"What's going on?" Harry asked groggily as he sat up in bed.  
  
They all whipped around to face him. Sirius stepped forward and sat at the edge of Harry's bed. He put a hand on Harry's shoulder and began, his voice not very steady, "Harry, I already told you that there were a lot of deaths in Diagon Alley yesterday, right?"  
  
Harry knew what was coming. "Who is it, Sirius?" He said his voice cracking slightly.  
  
A single tear rolled down Sirius's cheek, thought it wasn't really for himself, but for Harry...  
  
TBC  
  
A/N: So I kind of want to know who you all think it's going to be...who knows, maybe I'll even change the character I have in mind if you have interesting enough guesses...for the record, it's not the person I talked about in my summary, you may not particularly like this person, I don't really know! The next chapter may not be out for a little while, I'm really busy lately, and I hate it! I'm the kind of person who LOVES spare time, and this year I get very little of it...I can't wait for summer! Review please! 


	16. Chapter 16

FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, BOOK 5 IS COMING OUT JUNE 21, 2003...ALSO KNOWN AS MY BIRTHDAY : ) I CAN'T WAIT!  
  
A/N: Okay, so no one hit the nail on the head, but almost all of you were technically right, the most common answer I got was, "One of the Weasley's or Hermione." And I was kind of disappointed that I didn't get any weird ideas, so I stuck with my original plan. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, it didn't come out exactly the way I wanted it to, but I'm generally happy with it...There are more tears, but I think they were pretty necessary this time! Enjoy!  
  
Katie: You appear to have left me...where have you been? I miss your reviews! I think this is the third chapter straight you haven't reviewed, do you no longer like this story, or are you just too busy??? If you don't review soon, I'm going to start thinking you've died, and that's not good!  
  
Ella: You've reviewed just in time, I was about to post and then yahoo zoomed me an update! I agree, it was definitely time to retire the squirrels, but maybe they'll make a reappearance in the distant future....Thanks for the review!  
  
Wonder: Thanks for the review...you and so many others make me feel so good I can't even explain! : ) I think everyone who's a fan of the Potter books is a fan of Sirius, I haven't met one person who said otherwise...even a little girl I babysit told me her favorite characters were Sirius Black and Professor Lupin...I was like, "Me too!!!" Anyways, keep reading and reviewing, and I'll keep writing!  
  
Fairy Tale: I bow before you! LOL, just kidding, but it's great to get a review back from the person who's story I have reviewed more than any others! Lets see, where to begin...I did indeed like your review, I opened my email update of it and was like "Wow! That's the longest review I've ever gotten!" So thanks! I've been trying to write this story so that its not predictable, I HATE predictable stories SO much...It's good to know you don't think that I overdo the tears, but I really think I do, I recently went back and read the story from start to finish and realized just how much there are...but its an emotional time for them, and even though there guys they need to get it off their chests too, right? And about the hair thing, I like to keep a little humor on top of all the drama, but you seem to be the only one who caught the hair thing...at least no one else mentioned, but that's probably because of the evil way I ended that chapter...You're right, cliffhangers are SO fun, I love to read people's reactions to them...one person called me a beast! I couldn't believe it! I did know who I was going to have killed, but if someone had an interesting enough guess, I could have changed it...nothing in my story is set in stone, but I have general ideas...if I ever write another fic, I'll probably plan it out A LOT better than this one, I'm totally winging this story, and I imagine eventually it's going to start to suck, but hopefully I'll be able to keep it going...Now, you didn't catch it either (nobody did) but I said that Sirius was upset not for himself, but for the pain he knew it would put Harry though, but everyone thought that it was someone who Sirius and Remus knew really well, so they couldn't imagine who it would be. I don't think I'll ever get the there's down...I know which one goes where, but when it comes to writing I just pick one and write it...I get low grades on essays for this precise reason...I can never pick them out in my writing, but they stand out so well in other people's writing...* sigh * I am working on it though, I always proof read once, but I don't catch all that much....As to Dumbledore calling Sirius, Mr. Black, I do it for two reasons...1) Dumbledore often refers to people like that, 2) I'm trying to put in a tenseness between Sirius and Dumbledore, you'll see it more in this chapter, I tried to just have him call Sirius, Sirius once, but it didn't sound right...he'll call Remus, Remus because he knows him better...does that make sense? There is a method to my madness...I assure you! I hope you like this chapter! Keep reading and reviewing!  
  
Aeryn Alexander: I'm glad you liked my story, but what in the world did you mean about me having Remus and you having three Snapes? I really had no idea what you were talking about...do I want to?  
  
SillyKitty: LOL, none of those listed are dead...but I can't assure you that they won't die eventually, I'll tell you this though, one will definitely survive...I would never kill off ALL of Harry's friends!  
  
Smith: I'm glad I have some Americans giving me some support here...just cause I say sweater and don't ever use the word knickers doesn't mean that this story can't work, right? Thanks for the review!  
  
Star Chaser: I'm glad you like the story, keep reading and I'll keep writing!  
  
Slytherin Seeker: Another person who will sit and read an entire fic in one day...I can't tell you how many countless hours I have spent doing just that...I'm glad you like mine!  
  
Kanzer: Well, no you will no who died, I hope you don't hate me for who it is, but this is the way I wanted it...hint (not that you need it now, but you asked for it) red hair...most people guessed that anyways!  
  
AprilSkrutin: Now, I tried to make this clear, but a lot of people didn't get it, Sirius and Remus weren't really upset for them, they just knew it would be really hard on Harry, and didn't want to have to be the ones to put him through the pain...I guess I didn't write that part too well...and you were sorta right, but not specific enough...like most of the reviewers!  
  
Sirius Black: Yep, Sirius hasn't died...yet...lol just kidding. Anyway, hope you like this next chapter, keep the reviews coming!  
  
Ron's girl: Evil...me? How dare you! Just kidding, I know that was pretty evil, but I was trying to see if I could get the reviewers to interact more, it didn't really work, but it was fun to do that to you all anyways ; )  
  
Harry-luver: I post as much as I can, as soon as I can...stuff just always gets in the way! You know how it is I'm sure!  
  
Rachel: Demanding, aren't you? I love when people get into my story like you, it's so funny to see people getting "nervous" over something I wrote, to me its nothing great, but to some reviewers, you really get into it...I love hearing it!  
  
Tiger Lily: Yup that was an evil cliffie, and highly intentional too...If I could every chapter would end with one, but that's a bit to action packed for me. Your guess was wrong, but pretty good...There was just no way I could put that much more guilt on Harry's shoulders.  
  
PhoenixFeather: Don't panic! I have updated : ) I'm so happy you like my story so much...but there was no way I could sacrifice my school work more than I already have...the reason I've been so busy lately was because I had to miss school for ski meets...boy am I sore...I also have dance lessons and work, and I just can't get out of it! But, no matter how busy I get, I promise to never let my faithful reviewers wait for too long!  
  
Kat: Sirius was the only one crying, and it wasn't for him....I tried to explain this, but a lot of people didn't catch it, they were both upset for what they knew it would put Harry through, they were feeling the pain they knew he'd be feeling...sorry if I threw you off there. And trust me...I've hurried!  
  
FirePixie28: Thanks for the review, I love when people tell me the stories great, I tend to think you're insane but thanks!  
  
QuidditchFan: Thanks for the review, I'll update as often as possible as soon as possible!  
  
A.Dee: You were right....and I made that cliffhanger just to be as evil as possible...I wanted to see what people would say...it wasn't written that well, though was it?  
  
Kimmy: Yay, you're back, you like to take little breaks there don't you? Sorry...you're not wrong, but I'll let you read which one it was...it was my personal favorite Weasley, but I thought it would be good for the story.  
  
Starlette: I was trying to be cruel with the cliffie, but I really thought I should at least warn you that I wouldn't be able to update soon...I actually thought it would take longer than it has, but I managed to spit it out quickly...I must say I agree with the comment, "Voldemort is whacked." He is indeed very much whacked : ) And I'm with you on the parents yelling thing...mine are telling me to go do stuff right now, but am I? No...Keep reading and reviewing!  
  
Moonlight: Yeah, it was a cruel cliffy, sorry...I just had to do it! It is one of those you guessed, hope you don't hate me for who it is!  
  
Slytherin Dark Lord: Thanks for the review...ikkle Ronnikens is not dead, but you'll see later what his deal is...I will say no more, just read!  
  
Sirius the homicidal maniac: I don't like your name, but that was a nice review! I know what you mean about Dumbledore, some people just don't have him the way he's supposed to be and it's just annoying...I was laughing so hard when I first read the end of that review...I assure you, I will try to get freedom so I can freely do the free activites I freely enjoy doing freely! That made no sense, I think you're better at that than me!  
  
John: Sorry, not Colin Creevy...I actually forgot about him...it is someone close to Harry, but I'm going to let you find out for yourself who...Hope you like it!  
  
Ann: Thanks for the review : )  
  
Kateydidn't: Demanding aren't you? I really enjoy doing that, I think it makes people all the more excited when the next chapter comes out!  
  
Silver Moon: You were sorta right, but not specific enough, don't worry, you're not alone! Now, Sirius wasn't crying over the death really, although you'll see it was a little...he was mostly crying for Harry's sake, if it had been someone really close to Sirius, he would have been bawling, due to the way I portray him...  
  
Anonymous: I can't believe you called me a beast! I've never been called a beast before in my life! But I guess I kinda was after that cliffie huh?  
  
Carolyn: I know, I know it was very mean, but I HAD to do it...I couldn't resist!  
  
Surferchickity15: Yep it was mean...but how could you hate me? Nobody can hate me!  
  
Elizabeth Bathory: I kind of agree about Sorai, but I'm going to keep her around. I really do have a plan for her, but I do hate writing her now...I always have to explain what she's doing now, and that's really annoying...but she'll be pretty important later on. And no, I'm not bringing anyone back from the dead...I personally hate stories that do that, with a few exceptions...so that's not happening  
  
Kellie: Sorry, your guesses are wrong. Please don't go mad, I would feel terribly guilty, and then be thrown into a fit of depression, where I become obsessed with the wall paper, (I just read a story where this happened, and your review sparked it)...I'll keep updating as often as possible, so don't worry and please stay sane!  
  
Siriusrngrfan: Thanks for the email, I almost forgot to add you! Don't ya just hate when fanfition.net is acting up? It drives me insane, and it always seems to malfunction right when I'm ready to update! You're guess is sort of right, but not completely, so....sorry! I'm happy you like my story, keep reading and reviewing!  
  
  
  
  
  
~~~~~ "Molly Weasley," Sirius mumbled, bracing himself for a variety of reactions from Harry. He knew that Harry had been close to Molly, the Weasley's were his second family, just like James once considered Sirius's family his own. Because of this, Sirius was unsure of how Harry was going to behave, but he soon found out.  
  
Harry just continued to stare at Sirius, it was like what he said didn't sink in at all, but Sirius knew it had. Harry had tensed considerably after hearing the name, but he didn't say a word.  
  
Sirius stroked Harry's hair, concerned. "Harry, did you hear me?"  
  
Harry nodded solemnly, his eyes still staring sharply at Sirius, who was getting slightly freaked out by this reaction. He had expected tears, maybe anger, but this just didn't make any sense. "Harry, are you okay?"  
  
Again, Harry just nodded, but this time he broke the ominous stare and looked down at his hands. "You sure?"  
  
"Yeah," Harry muttered almost inaudibly.  
  
"Okay," Sirius said skeptically, "Why don't you try to go back to sleep, Harry, you look like you could use it."  
  
Harry again nodded, but showed no sign that he was going to do it. Sirius pulled a blanket high up over him and walked back to Remus, Sorai, and Dumbledore.  
  
"Why didn't you tell him?" Remus asked sharply.  
  
Sirius shook his head, "I did."  
  
"What?! But, he doesn't even look upset."  
  
"Yeah, but I think he is, I really have no explanation for it, but I can tell he's hurting."  
  
"The boy has been through a lot. He's dealing with this in the only way he can, you must be patient with him, give him time. I'm sure eventually he will come to grieve, and then he will get over it," Dumbledore said wisely.  
  
Remus and Sirius nodded in understanding. "Lets say we leave Harry to rest and get some breakfast?" Remus said. Sorai and Dumbledore agreed, but Sirius refused.  
  
"I'm going to stay here in case he needs someone to talk too, I can't leave him now."  
  
Dumbledore shook his head, "I think it best that he be left alone for some time, Sirius."  
  
Sirius shook his head firmly, "No, there is no way I'm going to leave him now. He's hurting and I know it! If he doesn't want to tell me anything, he doesn't have to, but I'm going to be here in case he does."  
  
Remus saw that Sirius was getting annoyed with Dumbledore, something he had always done since they were in school, so he decided to end the matter himself. "Fine, Sirius, you stay, we'll bring you and Harry back some food, okay?"  
  
Sirius nodded and Dumbledore shook his head, neither said anything though. Satisfied, Remus started out of the hospital wing and hoped the rest were following him. When he got outside, he waited for the others to exit the room and then shut the door. Dumbledore was still shaking his head. Remus spoke up again, "He's stubborn Dumbledore, and there's no way even you could have gotten him to leave Harry's side. He was ready to pick a fight with you, I saw it coming."  
  
"Yes well, I believe he is doing the wrong thing in there...He's going to smother the poor boy."  
  
"Maybe, but from what I've seen so far, all Harry ever really needs is Sirius...he always finds a way to make Harry feel better."  
  
Dumbledore just shook his head and set off towards the stairs.  
  
Back in the hospital wing, Harry was pretending to sleep. Sirius was sitting next to him, stroking his hair back. Harry didn't know what to think about Mrs. Weasley's death, and thus didn't really want to talk about, not even to Sirius. After the third task, Harry felt really cared about because Mrs. Weasley had been there for him. She was the first person to feel like family to him, to treat him like he mattered. He was going to miss her a lot, and wished he could have said goodbye and thanked her for all she had done for him. But it was too late for that. Mrs. Weasley was gone now, he couldn't say anything to her ever again. He could never again be given such a motherly hug like the one she had given him the previous year again.  
  
Rather than continuing to think of himself, Harry thought of how the rest of the Weasley's were doing. He pictured every last one of them bawling their eyes out over the news, and literally felt their pain. He envisioned Ron sitting alone tears running freely. Ginny trying to find comfort wherever she could get it, and having trouble with that as her mother was the one she always turned to. Poor Ginny, the last female left in the family. Harry also pictured Percy trying to look dignified despite his grief, and failing miserably. Bill and Charlie, he didn't know well enough to think about, but knew they'd be having a very hard time as well. Mrs. Weasley was the glue that held the family together. And Mr. Weasley, Harry pictured him not grieving, but angry. Harry had never seen Mr. Weasley angry but could easily picture it. Mr. Weasley just seemed the type who would want to seek revenge. Harry could only pray that he wouldn't try.  
  
All these visions swirled in Harry's mind until they all blurred together. A tear leaked out of Harry's forced shut eyelids and slowly trailed down his face. Sirius saw it, but pretended he didn't. He wanted Harry to talk to him only when he was ready. Sirius kept stroking Harry's hair gently, and watched his facial expressions change. Harry went from looking peacefully asleep to like he had just eaten a vinegar flavored Bertie Bott Every Flavor Bean. His lips trembled and his whole body shook, but Harry never once opened his eyes, still trying to convince Sirius he was asleep.  
  
Harry continued his unconvincing act for another few minutes, his face twitching in and out of his sour face. Sirius desperately wanted to do something to help Harry, to take him out of his pain, but knew that what he was doing right then was the best thing he could do for the boy. All of a sudden, however, Harry seemed to snap. His eyes popped open and he threw himself at Sirius and buried his head in Sirius's shoulder, sobbing. Sirius was shocked for a moment, but then wrapped his arms tightly around Harry while he cried.  
  
"It's not fair! Why'd she have to die? She was such a good person, she didn't deserve that! What's going to happen, now? How-how are Ron and the others going to deal with this? Why Sirius? Why'd it have to happen?"  
  
Sirius rubbed Harry's back in soft circles and whispered, "I don't know Harry. She was a good person, you're right. She was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. But Harry, things will get better, trust me...I've been through this before. Yes, the Weasley's are entering a very hard time, but eventually they'll make it out okay, they still have each other, which is more than some people get. Molly will be missed terribly, but life will go on, it has to."  
  
Harry nodded violently and just continued to sob. Sirius knew that nothing else he said would make a difference to Harry, so he continued to rub Harry's back and simply be there for him.  
  
After nearly fifteen minutes of crying, Harry took a deep breath and tried to regain his composure. He was quiet for a bit, with the occasional sniffle. He then pulled away from Sirius, who helped him ease back onto his pillows. "You going to be okay Harry?" Sirius asked quietly.  
  
Harry nodded. They sat in silence for a few minutes more until Harry asked, "Is there going to be a funeral?"  
  
"Yeah, the day after tomorrow, we're all going to go. Did I ever tell you that Remus and I used to know her well?"  
  
Harry shook his head curiously.  
  
"Well, during our final year at Hogwarts, she actually taught us. She was the Charms professor before Flitwick. She only stayed on one year though, as she was pregnant with her first son after that. A shame really, she was a great teacher. I expect she would have returned to teaching after the others grew up...I guess we'll never know." Sirius realized soon, that that probably wasn't the smartest thing to say, and he quickly covered with what he hoped would be a funny story, "So this one time, we were having Charms with the Slytherin's, and your father and I decided to play an itsy bitsy prank on Snape. Well, we ended up first levitating his quill, so that he would have to go after it. Then we put the old dancing charm on him, so he was doing ballet as he went after his quill...it was the funniest thing....He ended up right in the front of the room doing those spinny things and prancing up and down...he finally did this swan like jump and caught the quill, before landing very...er...gracefully. Anyway, after he sat back down Molly said, 'Why thank you Mr. Snape, honestly that was better than Swan Lake!' I think she meant it seriously, but it really just topped off the prank...she was great."  
  
Harry smiled sadly through the whole story, not so much at the joke on Snape part, but more at hearing how great Mrs. Weasley was, to everyone. "I'm going to miss her a lot...she was like...the mother I never had."  
  
Sirius nodded sadly, and went back to stroking Harry's hair. "You'll always miss her, that'll never go away...but eventually, her memory will make you happy, rather than sad."  
  
Harry looked thoughtful for a moment. "I know I've lost a lot of people in my life...my parents, and then Cedric died because of me...but never did I really have to deal with somebody dying who I really loved...I mean, I didn't have to deal with my parents deaths, and I barely knew Diggory, but I think I loved Mrs. Weasley, she always made me feel special...not just cause I'm The Boy Who Lived, but because I'm...me. Does that make sense?"  
  
"Yeah, Harry it makes perfect sense."  
  
"I just can't believe she's gone," Harry muttered, shaking his head sadly.  
  
"I know, Harry, I know," Sirius replied, resting his chin atop Harry's head, "Why don't you get some rest now, Harry...For real this time."  
  
Harry nodded and sank back onto the bed, sighing. "It'll get better Harry, the pain will go away...eventually."  
  
"I hope so," Harry replied in a trembling voice. He then let out a very shaky breath.  
  
Sirius looked intently at Harry, "Are you going to be okay? You're not going to try to hide it again are you?"  
  
Harry shook his head, "I think we both saw that that just doesn't work."  
  
Sirius nodded in agreement and watched Harry slowly drift into sleep. He kissed his sleeping godson gently on the forehead and then stood up to look out the window. It was a beautiful summer day, the opposite of the mood that had settled within the confines of the hospital wing. "Maybe later I'll take Harry out there...might cheer him," Sirius mumbled to himself.  
  
"That sounds like an excellent idea Mr. Black." Sirius whipped around to see Dumbledore standing in the center of the room. "Has he woken?"  
  
"He was never really asleep. He broke down, but he's doing better I think."  
  
"Very good...Earlier Remus told me you were the only one who could really help Harry, whenever he needed it...would you say this is true?"  
  
Sirius was slightly taken off guard by this question. "I don't know, I think I do help Harry a lot, he's always needed a parental figure...the Dursley's never gave him that...and I think he really trusts me...but I don't think I can always help him...no. There are times when I feel like there's nothing I can do for him...I hate those times."  
  
Dumbledore nodded, "I think you're wrong about that Mr. Black. From what I've seen you have already helped the boy immensely. Never have I seen him look happier than when he's around you, and I've known him for five years now. I think you're good for him, and vice versa...which is why I'm warning you to be careful."  
  
"What do you mean?" Sirius asked, bewildered.  
  
"Mr. Black, everyday that boy grows closer and closer to you, and he's growing up in a time where no one is safe. Last night, he really broke down completely when I so much as told him you fought a brave battle. Indeed, that shows that he cares very strongly for you, and he fears losing you. I ask that you do everything in your power to keep yourself safe. Just as you would try to keep him from harm, keep yourself from harm. I'd hate to see what the consequences of him losing you would be...try not to let it happen, that's all I ask."  
  
Sirius was thoroughly touched. Harry had already told him that he had gotten upset when Dumbledore had spoken of the battle, but it meant so much more hearing how much he cared from Dumbledore. "I'll try," Sirius said grinning.  
  
"Very well, I suggest you do find something to do later to take his mind off the death, the last thing he needs is to sit in this dank room all day, he needs some sunlight and fun."  
  
"Okay, Dumbledore...where are Remus and Sorai?"  
  
"Outside I believe. I have brought up some food for you, and some for Harry for when he wakes. I shall be in my office if you need anything."  
  
Sirius nodded and sat against the window. He soon fell asleep in a very uncomfortable position, his forehead pressed firmly against the glass.  
  
About two hours later, Harry woke up to find Sirius no where in sight. He climbed out of bed carefully, as he was still week, and walked towards the center of the room. He found Sirius dead asleep leaning against a large window. He carefully walked over to him and sat down. Usually, Harry wouldn't have woken him, but he looked incredibly uncomfortable. First Harry tried to yell to wake him up, when that didn't work, he shook Sirius gently. That didn't work either, so he shook Sirius hard.  
  
This didn't exactly have the result Harry had hoped for. He succeeded in waking Sirius up, but only because he knocked him to the floor. After Harry shook Sirius's shoulder, he slid right off the window sill and landed face first on the floor.  
  
"What the Hell?!" Sirius groaned and looked up at Harry who was grinning sheepishly.  
  
"Er...sorry about that." Harry said, reaching a hand down to try to help him up. Sirius grabbed it and deliberately pulled Harry down on the floor next to him.  
  
"Hey! What was that for?" Harry yelled, laughing.  
  
"This," Sirius said and then started tickling Harry fervently.  
  
"STOP! STOP!" Harry yelled, before punching Sirius hard, but jokingly in the arm. Sirius stopped for a moment, but dove back in to get him for another few seconds, before stopping for good.  
  
"So Harry, you up for a trip outside?" Sirius asked.  
  
Harry shrugged, "Sure."  
  
"Great," Sirius replied before getting to his feet, then bending down to help pull Harry up. They slowly set out of the room and down many flights of stairs, taking it slowly, step by step.  
  
Half way down the stairs, Harry asked, "How are you doing...this whole thing must be bringing back a lot of memories, just like when we found Sorai...are you okay?"  
  
Sirius grinned at Harry's perceptiveness. He had indeed been feeling low again do to the fact that history was beginning to repeat itself, and it had reminded him of all the bad things that had happened when he was young, but he was doing better than when he had found Sorai, and told Harry that. "You're right Harry, it did bring back a lot of memories, but...I guess I got it all out of my system the other day...thanks to you and Remus. I know it probably didn't seem like you did much, but you helped me immensely Harry."  
  
Harry grinned sheepishly as he stumbled down the stairs. He hit a trick stair and nearly went flying face first down the stairs, but luckily he was caught by Sirius. J  
  
"Whoa there...you okay, bud?" Sirius asked, trying to pull Harry into a standing position, his legs were a twisted mess. "Here, sit down on this step."  
  
Harry obeyed and Sirius helped him pull his legs back around straight and then pulled him up again. "Do you want to continue?"  
  
Harry nodded and Sirius wrapped an arm around his shoulders to keep him steady as he walked. They turned a corner and heard a sarcastic voice, "Well, well, well. Isn't this...touching."  
  
"Snape," Sirius growled and Harry tensed.  
  
"Black...so you managed to convince the ministry that you were innocent...you'll never fool me, however, I still know you're a filthy, murdering liar, I've known it since that little incident fifth year."  
  
Sirius sighed deeply, wondering why he always had to put up with this, "Snape, give it a rest, okay? I've apologized for that, it was a long time ago, why can't you just let it go?"  
  
"I could have died Black! You have no regard for other peoples lives, I should have let you die on those steps, but I have enough decency to try to help people live!"  
  
"Yeah, just like you helped all those people when you were a deatheater...how many innocent people did you kill again Snapey? Something like 22 wasn't it"  
  
Snape growled and stepped closer to Sirius, Harry quickly placed himself directly in front of Sirius, knowing Snape wouldn't hurt him, but unsure of what he might do to Sirius.  
  
"Get out of the way Potter, this is between Black and I."  
  
"Snape, there is nothing between us, I'm taking Harry outside to get some air, please just leave us alone."  
  
"I'll leave you alone to grieve for you precious Weasley!" he said venomously, spitting out the name, "But don't think this is over Black, its just beginning."  
  
With that he swept away and strode up the stairs.  
  
Sirius made a hissing laugh and turned to Harry, "Don't think this is over Black...give me a break!"  
  
Harry laughed sadly and Sirius looked down concerned, "What's up Harry?"  
  
"Nothing new, just a reminder of Mrs. Weasley...that's all."  
  
Sirius wrapped his arm back around Harry and helped him down the stairs, saying, "Snape's a jerk for doing that, he brought it up just to get you upset...he should go rot in Hell!"  
  
"As long as you don't put him there," Harry said quietly.  
  
Sirius stopped walking and looked at him confused. "You think I'd kill someone Harry? I thought I proved to you that I wasn't like that...the only person I would ever kill is Wormtail, that and Deatheaters who are trying to kill me but that's self-defense...I can't believe you think I'd do that," Sirius said rather dejectedly and slackened his arm.  
  
Harry regretted saying that immediately. "Sirius, that's not what I meant...I just know that you hate Snape, I hate him too...the only person you seem to hate as much as Snape is Wormtail, you get the same kind of scary look on your face when you're near Snape as you did when you were around Wormtail, and I knew you'd kill him in a heartbeat, I guess it just scared me that's all...but don't get me wrong, Sirius, I don't think you're a killer! I know you're not...I know you wouldn't just kill anyone who made you mad, sorry it came across that way."  
  
Sirius still looked skeptical, but put on a happy face anyway, and squeezed Harry closer to him. They were outside soon, and had a great time, all tension and sadness seemed to have dissipated completely. Remus and Sorai even came out to join them, and they played a mini game of quidditch. They returned to the Lupin Loft later that night, and Remus hurriedly made to rather boring rooms, saying that Harry and Sorai could each decorate them however they wanted. Harry's room was squeezed right between Remus and Sirius's and he was very happy about this, especially since it meant he was right across from the bathroom. Sorai's room was on the other side of Sirius, farther down the hall. The rest of the day was rather subdued, as was the next, though it was clear Harry was getting antsy. He needed to see Ron and the Weasley's before he could even begin to get over the pain.  
  
When it was finally time to go to the funeral, which would be held at a small church in the middle of nowhere, somewhere close to the Burrow, Harry looked deeply distressed. Whenever he spoke, his voice sounded panicked and tight, and he was shaking no matter how hard he tried not to.  
  
Before they left, Sirius took Harry aside and had a little talk with him. "Harry, you need to stop acting like this."  
  
"Acting like what, Sirius?"  
  
"Harry you're shaking, and you sound like you're about to scream. You need to let out what's bothering you, or there is no way you're going to make it through the day. I know its going to be hard, I've been through it many times, but you need to be strong, strong for Ron and the rest of his family okay? You need to be there for them."  
  
Harry nodded frantically, but showed no sign of doing what Sirius had suggested. Sirius grabbed Harry's shoulder and shook him gently. "Let it out Harry, before we go, let it all out, you need to."  
  
Harry bit his lip hard, scrunched up his face, and then came the waterworks. "Why? Why did this have to happen? I just don't understand...why does this ALWAYS have to happen?"  
  
"Why does what happen? Why do people die?" Sirius asked confused.  
  
Harry shook his head violently, "No, why do people have to die like that? She didn't deserve to die...Ron and the others didn't deserve to lose their mother. It's not fair!"  
  
Sirius squeezed Harry's shoulder, "I know its not fair, but that's Voldemort...he's always been one to kill needlessly, kill people randomly."  
  
"Was it my fault Sirius, was it because she was nice to me...because she cared about me?" Harry sobbed.  
  
Sirius was shocked at this question, it must have been eating at Harry since he found out. "No, Harry, this was not your fault at all! I told you before, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, it has nothing, do you hear me, nothing to do with you...don't ever think that Harry."  
  
"Yeah, but it's just...everything seems to be my fault...everything! I mean...it's my fault he's back in the first place! It's all my fault!"  
  
"No, Harry, it's not your fault...none of this shit is! I can't believe you're blaming yourself for all that's wrong in this world today."  
  
Harry shook his head, clearly not believing a word Sirius was saying.  
  
Sirius put a hand on either side of Harry's face and held it so Harry couldn't look away. "Listen to me Harry, this is NOT your fault. Everything you've ever done in your life was for the better, you always did what was right! Understand me? You've done nothing wrong, there's nothing you can POSSIBLY be blamed for! All of this is Voldemort's fault, not yours, why don't you believe that?"  
  
Harry sucked in a deep breath, "Sirius...it is my fault, maybe I've always done the right thing, but that doesn't mean I did the smartest thing. If I had just let you kill Wormtail, Voldemort wouldn't be back right now! Mrs. Weasley wouldn't have been killed..."  
  
"I wouldn't be free," Sirius interrupted. "Harry, I know you think you made the wrong choice, but you didn't, you're decision gave me the justice I deserved, as well as Wormtail what he deserved. For that, you did the right thing. Voldemort would have found a way back without Wormtail if he had to, and this would still happen. There's absolutely nothing you or I can do about it! You can't blame yourself!"  
  
"But I do," Harry said so sadly and earnestly that it nearly broke Sirius's heart.  
  
"I wish I could make you believe otherwise," Sirius muttered quietly as he pulled Harry into a tight hug and slowly rocked him back and forth as he cried.  
  
It took a while, but Harry finally calmed down, he went to wash his face and then met Sirius and Remus in the living room to leave for the funeral. It was like the simple face wash had changed Harry's spirits completely. He was no longer terribly sad and depressed, but simply serious. He looked ready to greet whatever could possibly get in his way that day. This worried Sirius. It was never good for anyone to change emotions that quickly. He was bottling again. Sirius sighed, but decided to ignore it, it was probably best for the day anyway, but he intended to some day get all of it out of Harry, he just wasn't sure how he was going to go about doing it.  
  
Sirius stepped up to Harry and said, "Are you ready Harry?"  
  
"Yeah," Harry said evenly.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay Harry?"  
  
"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry."  
  
"Okay, lets go," Sirius said, gesturing towards the door.  
  
"Wait," Harry said. "Isn't Sorai coming?"  
  
"No, she never really knew Molly at all, she didn't think it would be appropriate."  
  
"Oh," Harry replied, disappointed. He was really looking forward to getting to know her better, curious if she could tell him more about his mother than Sirius and Remus could.  
  
"It's time to go now," Remus said and headed for the door. The others followed, and they went to the jeep and did pretty much the same thing they had done after Sirius's trial. When they arrived, they found the small church overrun with many witches and wizards Harry had never seen before in his life. He spotted someone he knew in seconds, however.  
  
"Hermione!" he called when he saw her standing alone in a corner of the room. He walked away from Sirius and Remus and started walking towards her.  
  
She looked up sadly and smiled when she saw who it was. She walked over and gave Harry a tight hug.  
  
"How are you Harry?"  
  
"I'm okay, considering. I was pretty bad for a while, but I've really improved...I just can't believe...this...happened."  
  
"Yeah, me neither. Have you seen Ron yet?" she asked, biting her lip.  
  
"No, I just got here...have you?"  
  
"Not yet, in fact I haven't seen any of the Weasley's yet. I'm actually dreading it, aren't you?"  
  
"A little, but Ron's going to need us."  
  
Hermione nodded.  
  
"Lets say we go find him," Harry said.  
  
"Sure," Hermione said apprehensively, and they started walking through the church. They found Ron sitting completely alone in a pew at the front of the church. There were no tears in his eyes, but the sadness and anger they carried showed exactly how much pain he was in.  
  
"Ron," Hermione began, once they had made eye contact. "I'm so sorry, Ron." She said, reaching forth and pulling him into a painfully tight hug. Ron made no movement whatsoever, just sat ramrod straight. He barely acknowledged the fact that he had been hugged at all. Hermione sat beside him and let Harry step forward.  
  
"I'm so sorry Ron," Harry said, sitting on his other side. Ron slowly looked at him, and then turned back to staring into the nothingness ahead. Harry didn't know what to think. He leaned back in his seat and looked at Hermione, who stared right back at him, concerned. They exchanged a glance that said only one thing, "This doesn't look good."  
  
  
  
So Ron's having a few problems, obviously, lets see if Harry can help him through them! I'll try to update soon, but I have midterms next week, and my weekend will probably (hopefully) be pretty eventful...I'm hoping to go dancing, yeah! Anyways, please review cause I just LOVE reading them, almost as much as I love writing this story, and they truly do inspire me to update sooner! 


	17. Chapter 17

Okay, so here's the deal...I just realized that if I don't get this chapter out tonight that it might not be out till Friday, and I really liked writing this chapter so I wanted to get it to you all as soon as possible, thus, I don't have time to write personal messages to everyone, something I love to do...sorry! But thanks to all who reviewed, I appreciate it very much, my heart warms whenever you guys send me the sweet reviews you do...seriously I had a really bad day turned completely around by a review...so keep it up! There are a few who I will talk to in the next chapter, cause you wrote interesting things, but other than that, I just don't have the time right now...way too busy! Again a million sorry's and thank you's! Enjoy!  
  
Harry was stumped. He could think of nothing to say, nothing to do that would make Ron feel better. Sure he had lost his mother as well, but it was under completely different circumstances than this. It appeared that Hermione didn't really know what to say or do either, she just sat next to him, and shot him occasional sympathetic glances. Thus, they just sat in silence, waiting for the ceremony to begin.  
  
Nearly twenty minutes after Harry arrived, he heard the church settle down as the rest of the Weasley family marched silently in. All looked calm and collected, though terribly sad, with the exception of Ginny. Ginny's eyes were rimmed in red and she sniffed deep breaths every few seconds. This is what Harry wished Ron was like, he could have dealt with that, but dark and angry wasn't Harry's specialty. He watched the whole red haired clan file into the pew in front of them and looked up to see a minister begin to speak.  
  
The ceremony was actually very nice, it made Harry feel less sad about the death. Just like Sirius said, Harry was feeling less saddened by her memory and happier because of it. He hadn't expected it to happen so fast, but was glad it did, he only wished it had been the same for Ron.  
  
When the ceremony ended, Ron abruptly stood up and walked straight out of the church without telling anyone where he was going. Hermione looked very worried.  
  
"Where do you think he went?" she asked.  
  
"He probably just wanted to be alone...to think things through, you know?"  
  
"I guess, do you think he'll be alright? He's not taking this well at all."  
  
"I hope so," Harry replied with a sigh. "Lets go talk to the other Weasleys."  
  
Hermione nodded and they walked over to where they all stood in a line. They each hugged every member of the family and gave their condolences. When Harry reached Fred and George, he was slightly surprised to see that they were a lot calmer than usual, he had never seen them like that in the whole time he had known them.  
  
"How's Ron?" Fred asked.  
  
"Dunno," Harry responded, "He wouldn't talk to us earlier...he just left the church."  
  
George nodded grimly. "He's taking it worse than any of us...even Ginny. Think you two could talk to him? We've all tried, but nothing seems to work...we don't know what to do for the poor kid."  
  
"He blames himself," Fred threw in quickly, before a very large witch over took both the twins at once in a huge hug.  
  
Hermione and Harry backed away to the rear of the church where Sirius and Remus were waiting.  
  
"Sirius, Professor Lupin!" Hermione said, rushing ahead and giving both of the men hugs.  
  
"Hermione," they both said, smiling at her exuberance. After formalities had been passed, Sirius took hold of Harry's shoulder, "How's Ron?"  
  
Harry shook his head sadly. "Not good Sirius...Fred said he blamed himself, although I don't know how he figures it's his fault...anyway, we tried talking to him, but he didn't answer us at all, and then he just rushed out of the church. I don't know what to do for him...I'm new at all this, you know?"  
  
Sirius and Remus both nodded. "You just have to be there for him," Remus said wisely. "Never give up on him, and don't pressure him to talk. Trust me, we've been through this a lot. Just give him time...eventually you'll have the old Ron back, just maybe not as soon as you'd like."  
  
Harry nodded but looked so helpless. Sirius again took him by the shoulder and said, "Why don't you go find him...he probably thinks he needs to be alone, but he needs someone, go help him."  
  
Harry nodded grimly and set off for the door, Hermione at his heels. Both Sirius and Remus grabbed her shoulders, and said, "Not so fast."  
  
Hermione watched helplessly as Harry walked out the door without her.  
  
"Why can't I go?" she asked indignantly.  
  
"I think they need guy time Hermione. The three real marauders all dealt with our parents dying while we were young, like Ron, and there's one thing that we didn't want to deal with when it happened...girls," Sirius said flatly.  
  
"He's right. Ron needs time to grieve, and he's not going to do it in front of a girl...it's not manly to cry, and he's not going to want you to see him doing it, not at all...but if Harry and Ron's friendship is anything like the marauders, he'll find comfort in Harry, his brother," Remus added.  
  
Hermione nodded sadly that she understood, and Sirius wrapped an arm around her. "I know it sucks...Lily had the same problem, you feel a little left out right? But trust Remus and I, it's for the best."  
  
"Yeah, I know, it's okay."  
  
Outside, Harry was searching the grounds for his red haired friend. He almost gave up when he saw a little red sticking out from behind a tree. Harry went around to see Ron staring angrily at the ground. He was sitting on the grass, with his legs pulled up high into his chest, his arms wrapped firmly, tensely around them. He didn't look up when Harry stepped in front of him, but relaxed slightly. Harry sat down on the ground next to him and never said a word. They sat like that for nearly fifteen minutes, both just staring ahead, lost in thoughts. Finally, Ron sighed and turned to Harry. He laughed bitterly and said, "This really sucks, huh?"  
  
Harry nodded sadly. "Yeah, it does."  
  
Ron was again silent for a bit.  
  
"Fred told me you think it's your fault?" Harry inquired.  
  
Ron looked down at the ground and slowly nodded his head.  
  
Harry waited a few seconds to see if Ron would say anything, when he didn't, Harry asked, "Why?"  
  
Ron bit his lip and shook his head. "I don't know," he said, his voice tight and strained. "It's just because...never mind." Ron shook his head, like he thought it was a very bad idea to tell Harry why, and Harry understood exactly what that meant.  
  
"You think it's your fault because you have a connection with Voldemort, a connection through me."  
  
Ron shook his head, but Harry nodded. "Yeah you do, and I agree, but it's not your fault at all...its mine. I already told Sirius and Remus that I thought that, but they tried to tell me it wasn't. And I know that it wasn't really my fault, they've convinced me of that, but I still feel to blame, and I always will...you always will too, it's something we can't help but think...but I'm going to tell you what they told me, the person at fault here is Voldemort, no one but him...he's why it happened."  
  
"Actually, I thought it was my fault because she was in Diagon Ally to get me a new owl...Fred and George accidentally killed Pig."  
  
"Oh," Harry said sheepishly. "But it's still not your fault! If it hadn't been for Voldemort, she would have made it safely out of Diagon Ally...it's not your fault mate!"  
  
Ron nodded sadly, "But like you said...I can't help but feel like it is."  
  
"Yeah well..." Harry said hopelessly. The two went back to not talking. For nearly a half an hour they just sat there.  
  
"It's okay to cry you know...if there's one thing I've learned since I left the Dursley's is just that..." Harry said quietly.  
  
Ron looked up with sad eyes and shook his head. "I'm afraid that if I start crying...I'll never be able to stop."  
  
Harry put an arm over his friends shoulders, "You'll be able to stop, trust me...it may take a while, but eventually, you'll be fine."  
  
Ron slouched and lowered his head slightly. He sat quietly for five minutes or so, and then lifted his head as tears began to stream heavily down his face. Harry pulled his friend into a strong hug at this point and let Ron cry it out. They had been outside for nearly two hours before Ron's tears finally slowed.  
  
"Thanks 'Arry," Ron mumbled, trying to dry his tears.  
  
Harry grinned, "No problem...feel better?"  
  
Ron shrugged, "A little I guess...but I miss her...I miss her so much and it hurts so bad."  
  
"I know," Harry murmured. "Are you ready to go back in?"  
  
Ron nodded and said, "Yeah, I guess I have to face the music sometime."  
  
Harry stood and brushed off his pants and then helped Ron up. Together they both walked back into the church, where they were instantly greeted by Hermione.  
  
"I'm sorry about earlier," Ron said, as Hermione pulled him into another big hug.  
  
"I don't care Ron, as long as you're feeling better now."  
  
"I am," he said, grinning slightly at Harry. "But I think I should be up there with my family."  
  
Harry nodded, and looked at Sirius and Remus, then turned back to Ron, "Remember the prank?"  
  
Ron nodded, confused.  
  
"Remember what Remus and Sirius told you?"  
  
Ron thought for a moment and then nodded, "Something about always being able to go to your house if I needed anything."  
  
"Well, I think they really meant that...if you ever get fed up...just come on over, you don't need to ask or anything...I'm sure it'll be fine." Remus and Sirius nodded in agreement.  
  
Ron smiled the first real smile of the day and nodded. He stepped up and gave Harry a man hug and then turned and went to stand with the family.  
  
"You ready Harry?" Sirius asked.  
  
Harry nodded and turned to Hermione. "Same goes for you...if you ever get bored, drop by the Lupin Loft, okay?"  
  
"Sure Harry, and thanks...I don't know what you did to Ron, but you've brought him back to his usual self, I don't know how you do the things you do."  
  
"I just did what Sirius and Remus have done for me...you can learn a lot from these two," he said grinning.  
  
"Better believe it," Sirius cut in.  
  
"Bye Harry, Sirius, Remus," Hermione said, hugging each respectively. They all said goodbye as well and then walked out of the church and headed home.  
  
It turned out that the Burrow was actually rather close to the Lupin Loft, so they just decided to drive the muggle way home. During the car ride, Sirius asked what had happened with Ron.  
  
"Well," Harry began, "I really just tried to do to him what you always do to me...you don't make me talk until I want to. I waited for nearly half an hour and he finally talked. I got him to tell me everything he had been going through and then just let him cry...then we went in, it was nothing really."  
  
"Nothing?" Remus said skeptically. "I've been on the receiving end of that kind of treatment, so don't tell me its nothing...that kind of friendship means a lot, I think you helped Ron more than you'll ever know by just sitting out there with him."  
  
"I hope so...and thanks for not letting Hermione go out there, I don't think it would have had the same effect with her there...you know?"  
  
"Yeah we know...Your mom used to have the same problem, as we just explained to Hermione...there are some things the guys just have to handle on their own," Sirius said. Harry nodded in agreement.  
  
"Your birthday's coming up you know Harry," Sirius stated, as though Harry had no idea that it was even the right month.  
  
"Yeah," Harry said evenly, "So?"  
  
"So? You're turning fifteen...that's a big one, what do you want us to do?"  
  
Harry was thoroughly confused, "Do? What do you mean?"  
  
Remus gave Sirius a warning look and kept on driving, but Sirius didn't understand. Sirius kept on talking anyways, "I mean, who do you want to invite? Do you want it inside or out? Do we need to get anything?"  
  
"You mean...you want to throw a party? For me?" Harry asked, shocked.  
  
"Of course, what do you want to do?"  
  
"I don't need a party Sirius...maybe have Ron and Hermione over, but that's all I need."  
  
"But it's your birthday..." Sirius said, not understanding why Harry didn't seem enthusiastic about the idea. Harry just shrugged and turned to look out the window.  
  
Remus elbowed Sirius and whispered, "Give it a rest, okay?"  
  
"What?!" Sirius asked, completely bewildered.  
  
"Never mind, just drop it okay?" Remus pleaded, and waited for Sirius to nod his head in agreement. They rode the rest of the way home in silence. When they entered the Lupin Loft, Harry declared that he was going to get started on the piles of homework the teachers had left him, leaving Sirius and Remus alone in the living room.  
  
"So what's the problem with talking about a party?"  
  
"Isn't it obvious Padfoot? He didn't want to talk about it. I think it's clear that Harry has never had a big deal made out of his birthday, and that he doesn't want it now. Couldn't you sense that he didn't want to talk about it?"  
  
"Well, yeah, but I didn't understand why...and I still don't for that matter. We've taken Harry away from that old life...to start new, he deserves a good party, and I'm going to give him one!"  
  
"Sirius, listen to me, it's NOT a good idea...he doesn't want one, you'll only upset him."  
  
"He'll have a good time Remus, I know he will."  
  
"And what if he does? Afterwards he's just going to dwell on the fact that he had fifteen birthdays without that...he's going to see what other kids have had all there lives, and he's going to be really sad he missed out on it. I'm not going to let you do this."  
  
"Well we have to celebrate his birthday Moony!" Sirius yelled in exasperation.  
  
"I agree, and we'll do just what he wanted, have a small little 'gathering' here with just us and Ron and Hermione."  
  
Sirius looked highly disappointed. "Sirius, he needs time to adjust to this life, maybe next year we'll throw him a big one...but he's definitely not ready yet, and he obviously doesn't want one."  
  
"Fine Moony, it'll just be us and Ron and Hermione."  
  
"Trust me Sirius, it's for the best."  
  
"I know, but I could have planned the best party! I guess you're right, but we can still go all out with presents right?"  
  
"Yeah, I don't think Harry would mind that."  
  
"We're going to need to do some shopping for him, eh Moony?"  
  
Remus smiled, "Yeah, but I don't know when, full moons coming up in a few days."  
  
Sirius's face darkened. "Oh yeah, I forgot, do you think you'll be okay by Harry's birthday? Should we postpone the 'gathering'?"  
  
"Well, I don't think I'll be at my usual energy level, but I think I can handle a birthday party no problem."  
  
"Good...I hope Harry can handle the full moon, it'll be hard for him I think...it's still hard for me."  
  
"I guess we'll have to wait and see," Remus said darkly. He didn't want to say anything, but was worried about what Harry would think after he heard Remus during a transformation. He feared that Harry would come to see him as what he really was during that one night every month, a monster.  
  
The days before the full moon passed in a flurry, as Remus and Sirius, and even Sorai began to prepare for Harry's birthday, they got him so many presents, Dudley would have been jealous. Harry, of course, had no idea what was going on and was expecting his usual five or so presents, yet he was for once looking forward to the big day. However, the night of the full moon put quite a damper on his good mood.  
  
At around seven o'clock, Remus left the main part of the house and went down to the large basement, a place where Harry had never been. Sirius explained that it was completely safe for the rest of them, as Remus securely locked a number of doors well before the transformation began. There were also plenty of things the wolf could take his aggression out on without hurting himself. After he solemnly went down the stairs and began shutting doors, Harry and Sirius started up a game of chess. When the game finally ended, night really began to set, and the mood darkened considerably. "Lets watch some television, shall we?" Sirius asked nervously.  
  
"Sure," Harry said shrugging. They began watching some funny movie on TV in complete silence, neither really laughing at the jokes. Where laughter should have been, a loud howl came from the basement. Sirius bit his lip but otherwise showed no sign that he heard the howl, Harry on the other hand looked shaken at the sound, but continued to watch the TV as well. Every now and then, more howl's came, as well as loud rips and bangs, as the wolf tore things a part and hit the cement walls.  
  
"Sirius?" Harry asked timidly. "Why didn't he take that Wolfsbane Potion?"  
  
Sirius sighed and went to sit on the couch with Harry. "Wolfsbane is really hard to make, neither I nor Remus can do it, and since he no longer works at Hogwarts, he can't have it at his fingertips, so he has to suffer through this."  
  
"Oh," Harry replied sadly and flinched as he heard Remus hurling himself against a wall. "Is he going to be okay? It sounds awful."  
  
"Yeah, he'll be okay, he's been through this enough. He'll be bruised, scratched and exhausted, but he'll be alright."  
  
They watched the rest of the TV movie in silence, loud interruptions from the basement happening now and then. Harry got used to the noises, however, and fell asleep on the couch, leaning heavily against Sirius who had also fallen asleep.  
  
Sirius woke the next morning and gently pushed Harry off of him and laid him on the couch. He then went to the basement stairs and pulled open the doors until he reached Remus, laying sprawled face first on the cold cement floor. He walked over to him and knelt down, putting a hand on Remus's back and gently shaking him awake. "Moony," he said softly. "Moony, wake up." Remus slowly came back to reality with severe grimaces of pain. Sirius helped him roll onto his back so he could sit up. Every moment he made was followed by a sharp intake of breath or a hiss of pain.  
  
Sirius grabbed Remus around the waist and pulled him into a standing position. He pulled one of Remus's arms over his neck, and tried to support the rest of his body as they walked toward the stairs. "C'mon Moony, you can do it buddy. We need to get you up to bed. You need to rest." Remus nodded tiredly.  
  
"That was a really bad one, Padfoot," he croaked.  
  
"I know, I heard. Do you want me to join you down here for the next one?"  
  
Remus shook his head firmly. "You need to be up here for Harry."  
  
"I guess," Sirius said skeptically, Remus never seemed to want to have anyone there with him, despite the fact that it made the transformation and the recovery easier. Sirius didn't understand why he was like that.  
  
Harry woke that morning to hear heavy footsteps on the stairs. He looked around and saw Sirius emerge at the top of them, practically carrying an exhausted looking Remus. Harry jumped to his feet in shock. Remus lolled his head up and looked Harry sadly in the eyes. He didn't want Harry seeing him like that. Harry just stood there, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. Remus looked down again at the floor, it took far too much energy to keep his head up high. "I'm sorry you have to see this Harry," he mumbled before Sirius steered him to the next flight of stairs.  
  
Harry followed behind them, "I'm sorry to Remus, I'm sorry you have to go through that." He saw Remus's shoulders slump and his head nod sadly. Harry watched them disappear up the stairs and then sat back down on the couch in shock. After five minutes or so, Sirius came trotting back down the stairs. "So there you have it, Harry. That's his life."  
  
Harry nodded sadly. "I can't believe that...he looked-awful. It's always been that bad for him?"  
  
"Yeah, it has. But don't worry, he'll be fine in a couple of days, he's done it before."  
  
"Is there anything we can do for him?"  
  
Sirius smiled, "No, not really. We just have to be here for him to help him when he needs it. Moony and I have been through this together a lot, so don't worry about it, we can handle everything."  
  
Harry nodded, "Well I'll help if you need me to...just ask."  
  
"I will Harry, but don't stress yourself out over this, we're both used to it, its no big deal anymore, alright?"  
  
"Yeah," Harry said. "I think I'm going to go take a shower."  
  
"Good plan...I'll start breakfast, it won't be as good as Moony's but I'll do my best not to scorch anything.  
  
Harry grinned and disappeared up the stairs. He passed Remus's bedroom, though, and slowed down. Stopping in front of the door, Harry thought about what he should do. He didn't know why, but he wanted to help Remus, he couldn't stand seeing his former professor like that and wanted to make him feel better. Slowly, he peered through the half shut door and saw Remus wrapped in piles of blankets, yet still shivering in his bed. Harry stepped softly into the room, walked up to Remus's bed, and looked down at the exhausted man, thinking he was asleep. Harry noticed a big bruise on Remus's cheek, and stuck his hand out to gently touch it.  
  
Suddenly, Remus grabbed Harry's wrist tightly and mumbled through chattering teeth, "Harry, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I'm sorry...I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help," Harry said in a panic.  
  
"There's nothing you can do Harry, there's nothing anyone can do. Until they decide to make Wolfsbane in a bottle, I'm going to have to go through this once a month," he muttered bitterly.  
  
"Are you sure there's nothing...nothing I can do?"  
  
Remus nodded dully. "Just do your usual thing Harry...I'll be fine. I just need to sleep...if only I could get to sleep."  
  
"I'm sorry I'm keeping you up, I'll go now," Harry mumbled guiltily.  
  
"No, Harry it's not your fault...I was having trouble sleeping before you came in here. But I do think you should go now, I'm not going to get any rest talking to my favorite kid," Remus said in the nicest way possible. He didn't want Harry to feel unwelcome, but didn't like having him there at that moment at all.  
  
Harry nodded, understanding completely. "Yeah, I'll just go take a shower. I hope you feel better."  
  
"Thanks Harry...I love you."  
  
"Love you too," Harry said before leaving the room.  
  
Despite his pain, Remus smiled to himself, content with everything in his life, except of course his current condition.  
  
Harry took his shower, got dressed and then dragged his old chair downstairs. He still had trouble walking long distances, but no longer needed the chair at all. He brought it to the living room and left it there as he went to see Sirius in the kitchen.  
  
"Hey Harry," Sirius greeted from the stove where he was rather unsuccessfully trying to make fried eggs. They looked more like scrambled.  
  
"Hey. You sure you don't want me to make breakfast? I had lots of practice at the Dursley's."  
  
"No, that's okay, I'm doing fine here...I don't want you to do anything here that you had to do there."  
  
"It's really no problem Sirius, I actually like cooking...always have. If it weren't for Snape I'd probably like potions a lot better too."  
  
"Well, if you think you could do a better job then me then go right ahead...I'll just throw these away," Sirius said, pointing to his fried/scrambled mess.  
  
He did just that and then Harry set out to make ham and cheese omelets. "Is Sorai going to eat with us?"  
  
"No, I think she's working today, I don't know and I don't care, as long as I know she's living in a safe place I'm not going to worry. She's always been one to do her own thing...that's why you don't see her around that much."  
  
"Oh...should I make something for Remus?"  
  
Sirius shook his head, "He usually can't hold down anything the day after the full moon, so it's pointless to even try."  
  
"Okay," Harry said and then finished making two omelets and toast and brought it all to the table. Sirius dug right in and then stared surprised at Harry.  
  
"This is the BEST omelet I have had in my life! Harry, you cook better than Remus...the DURSLEY'S taught you that?"  
  
Harry looked embarrassed. "I wouldn't say they taught me...they'd get really...er...angry if what I cooked wasn't good enough so I had to improve. I used to sneak out at night and watch cooking shows so I could do a better job."  
  
"Well I guess something about staying at the Dursley's was good for you...I bet you would do better in potions if it weren't for Snape...potion making and cooking go hand in hand...this is great Harry."  
  
"Why's it so great?"  
  
"Well, both Remus and I are hopeless at making potions...but maybe you're better than us both. Maybe you could make the wolfsbane for Rem...we could get you all the ingredients."  
  
Harry's face lit up at the prospect of finally being able to give back to Remus after he had done so much for him. "I'd love to try it but...what if I screwed up? Couldn't that be really dangerous?"  
  
"There's nothing that goes into the Wolfsbane that's really deadly, if you screw it up, it just won't work properly, so we'd take the necessary precautions. If you'd be willing, I'll bring it up with Remus when he's feeling better."  
  
Four days later, Harry's fifteenth birthday, Remus was feeling much better, but the topic of Wolfsbane Potion had left everyone's minds. They all woke early that day, and even Sorai stuck with the crew for the days events. Ron and Hermione both arrived at around ten o'clock in the morning and the birthday gathering began. They first went outside and played a pick-up quidditch game. Hermione was the worst quidditch player Harry had ever seen, but he was surprised to see how good Ron had gotten. Harry decided then and there that he was going to get him on the team this year. They played until nearly four o'clock and went inside to get cake and open Harry's presents.  
  
The whole crew was sitting around the table as Sirius brought in the cake, when the doorbell rang. Sirius rushed through the birthday song and placed the cake in front of Harry, and the doorbell rang again. "Quick, Harry make a wish."  
  
Harry did and then blew out the candles. He wished that for once in his life, everything would start to go right. Sirius took a few quick pictures and then went to get the door. Everyone was curious as to who it could be, and quieted down to listen. "Is Remus J. Lupin here?" a very formal voice inquired.  
  
"Yes," they heard Sirius mutter very darkly, and wondered what could make Sirius so angry so quickly.  
  
"Take me to him," the voice said.  
  
Sirius came through first, his face as white as could be. He was soon followed by a man in dress robes, robes quite similar to the ones the men who took Sirius away wore. He stepped up to Remus, who stood at being approached. "Are you Remus J. Lupin?"  
  
"Yes, I am," Remus said firmly.  
  
"You are under arrest by the ministry of magic for aiding a criminal and withholding information from the ministry. You will be taken to the ministry now, where you will be given a trial. Do you understand the charges being brought against you?"  
  
Remus nodded, appearing brave, but Harry knew otherwise, Remus was terrified. The ministry official said, "It's time to go, say your goodbye's, I'll be outside." Harry was surprised to see this coming from a ministry official. He hadn't expected any acts of kindness at all. Perhaps he thought it was unfair that Remus was being charged with this, maybe there was hope for Remus. They'd know soon enough. Remus first went and said his goodbye to Sorai, who looked ready to cry. He then went and embraced Sirius and said some things to him that Harry couldn't hear. He then gave Ron and Hermione hugs, and they wished him good luck. Now, he stepped up to Harry.  
  
"I'm so sorry Harry...on your birthday and all. Please forgive me."  
  
"It's not your fault Remus, you don't deserve this...you didn't do anything wrong."  
  
"I know, but you've had so few great days...this was supposed to be one of them, and look what I've turned it into."  
  
"It's okay, really. Don't think about it, just make sure you win your trial, okay?"  
  
Remus nodded and grinned slightly at Harry before pulling him into a big hug. "Goodbye, Harry."  
  
"Bye, Remus," he whispered before watching Remus walk out the door. After the door shut, nobody said a word. Harry returned to his seat and everyone looked from one to the other in very uncomfortable silence.  
  
"Well," Sirius finally said, a tremor in his voice. "Moony would want the party to continue...lets eat cake." He cut the cake and handed everyone a piece. No one, not even Sirius finished a whole piece.  
  
"Time for presents," Sirius said when they all finished what they would of their cake. He tried to keep an upbeat mood, but failed miserably. No one was in the right state to be happy. Harry loved all his presents, but knew he would have loved them more had Remus been there. He was shocked to see the number of presents he received, and liked them all. He got tons of clothes, books, wizard games, new stuff for his room, a few movies, and his own set of quidditch balls, as well as various other odds and ends. When he thought all the presents had been opened, he was actually relieved. He could then end the party and have a little alone time, which he needed after the days events.  
  
Harry was about to get up from the table, when Sirius said, "Wait, sit back down, there's more."  
  
"More?!" Harry asked, exasperated.  
  
Sirius nodded and grinned sadly. "This was Remus's best present for you, I'd save it for his return, but that really wouldn't work out too well." Sirius then left the room and came back carrying something very large that had a sheet over it. He set it gently on the floor next to Harry. "Okay, open it."  
  
Harry grabbed the sheet and pulled it off and then breathed sharply. Lying curled in a wicker basket was a tiny golden retriever puppy. Harry's face lit up when he saw it, he looked like he was going to say something, but didn't. He was speechless. He picked the puppy up and held it in his lap as he started petting it. "What's his name?" he asked.  
  
"That's up to you, Harry?" Sirius said grinning.  
  
"What's Remus's middle name...J...?"  
  
"Same as yours actually. Remus James Lupin."  
  
"Really? Well then his name is James..." Harry said trailing off as he looked down at the puppy. He didn't know why, but the present meant a lot to him. A dog is said to be man's best friend, and Harry had always wanted one for just that reason, and now he had one that was just his.  
  
"Remus seemed to think I wasn't a good enough pet dog for you...that you needed your own, and I think he was right. Now, dogs aren't usually allowed at Hogwarts, but we cleared it with Dumbledore, so you can take James here with you anywhere you want to go."  
  
"Nice," Harry said, mesmerized by the dog, who seemed just as taken with Harry. The puppy put its little paws on Harry's chest and tried to lick his face. Harry laughed gently. "Thanks...thanks for everything Sirius...Sorai, Ron, Hermione."  
  
"Anytime," Sirius said, and the others nodded.  
  
"I think we should be going," Hermione said knowingly to Ron. Ron looked like he didn't want to go, but nodded his head anyway, he knew Harry would want to be alone after what happened. Sirius got up and led everyone to the fireplace.  
  
"Bye, Hermione, thanks for coming," Harry said, giving her a hug.  
  
"No problem Harry, I hope everything works out, Happy Birthday." Harry grinned at her and then turned to Ron.  
  
"Thanks Ron, see you later," Harry said, looking sadly at Ron.  
  
"Bye Harry, Happy Birthday...come get me if you need me, okay man?"  
  
Harry nodded and they again shared a man hug. "Bye guys," Harry said as they both went through the fireplace to their respective houses.  
  
Harry sighed deeply when they left. He again thanked Sirius and then took his puppy and presents up to his room. To think. He laid down on his bed with James, and thought, "So much for that birthday wish."  
  
  
  
And there you have it, so you can all stop asking what's going to happen to Remus...actually I still haven't told you...next chapter you'll find out. I really can't say whether or not the next chapter will take a while, I can only think of two absolutely open days coming up for a while, but it might all work out and who knows, maybe my teachers will lay off and I'll be able to have one by the weekend! 


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: So that one did take a while. Finals suck for those of you who don't know this already. Last week was honestly the week from hell! And I've been writing all weekend so I could get this out. Okay, so I worked and hung out with friends too. Luckily, I'm sick again, stomach thing, so I was able to get this out today!  
  
Rhiain: It was nice to see how you progressed through the story. Did I really make you cry? It's so cool to see that what I write actually affects people like that. And, I keep laughing at myself for that comment about Sirius in a towel, but seriously...lucky Harry, huh? LOL, keep reading!  
  
Melissa Lupin: Yes, it's Moony, umm...yeah, you're not gonna like this chapter...but I loved writing it, and think it's written pretty nicely, I'm actually really happy with the way it turned out.  
  
Feenamoon16: I kind of dropped the Weasley's off the face of the earth at the end of that chapter didn't I? I guess there will be a report on them soon enough, but you'll have to wait a bit. I tried to show that Ron wasn't exactly his usual self, but that he's better now that the funeral is over.  
  
LeeLeePotter: I guess that is pretty sad...you cried at the birthday party? I tried not to make that part to sad...oh well, I'm glad you did, I guess it shows that I'm getting the right mood in the story.  
  
Ella: I'm glad you like the puppy...it was so hard to think of a decent name, and I'm honestly not thrilled with my choice...James is just not a good name for a dog...but I wanted it to have some relation to Remus...and James is the only name I could think of...As to the rest of your review, you'll only get the answers you want if you keep reading!  
  
Tiger Lily: Well...I'll be prepared. I think after this I'm going to get a lot of flames...that's all I'll say.  
  
Aeryn Alexander: Oh, I see about the Snape thing...you actually have three? Well I guess I'm about the same. Every night that I work I find a new Remus...for me they come in different shapes and sizes...its insane really. But I haven't found a single Snape. Plenty of Sirius's and Remus's and even a few Harry's but never Snape. Anyways, the puppy is going to be the replacement Lupin for a while...you'll see why, and I hope you won't get mad at me. Keep reading!  
  
Lamina Court: No, the guy who took Remus away plays no importance at all. He was just nice because he was one of the few ministry officials who actually had a heart. He knew Remus had done the right thing. I tried to explain that, but I wasn't very clear. And the reason it's a retriever is because my own dog, Goldie is one. She had two litters of puppies and they were absolutely adorable, so I had to write about them. It's the only kind of dog I really know the nature of...and as for a poodle, it just doesn't strike me as man's best friend, but maybe you can make it work, lol. And as to your review of the precious chapter...I know I have Harry crying way too much. But, I did purposefully characterize him as an emotional kid. I decided he had enough after the Dursley's and was no longer going to keep it inside...but I really let him go a bit too much.  
  
Kanzer: Yes, it was sad, have you figured out yet that I like to write sad? Hehe, maybe I do it a bit too much. I'm glad you like the puppy.  
  
Sirius-is-sexy: LOL, where were you when I asked the question about seeing Sirius in a towel??? Nice name! Thanks for the review, you're not going to like this chapter, but it was one of my personal favorites so far, so please read it and review!  
  
Amy Potter 13: Thanks for the review, Remus is going to get...poorer.  
  
Lucretio-del-alba: I'm not nice...I know, but it's only so you will stay interested in my story...if I made it all happily ever after...then it would be over...do you want that to happen? I hope not! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Moonlight: Sorry, but I'm rebelling against your review. I expect a flamer from you after this review, but please make it a gentle flamer, my little heart can't take too much. And you're right about Harry and Sirius never being happy without Remus...  
  
Audierva: I honestly don't know what any of those reviews actually meant, but thank you. Did you call me a snob? Or was it supposed to be sob?  
  
John: Yes Remus, YES! LOL...he definitely was aiding a criminal by the way, what would you call it if not that? And about the dog at Hogwarts...I may take that into consideration...but there's no way I'm getting rid of him...I think I'm going to have him play a crucial part later on.  
  
Wonder: My heart breaks for him to when I re-read my chapters...I'm terrible to him aren't I? Seriously though sometimes my fingers just spew stuff off that I don't even remember. I was re-reading one chapter and I got to a point and said, aw I should have added this...and then I read some more and found that I did...I felt pretty insane at that point, but what can you do? And about what Remus goes through each month...it took me a while to figure it out. It always says Remus is gone for a few days...but the full moon is only one night, so I figured it must really take a lot out of him, so that's where I got that from...And my teachers did not by any means go easy on me...gah! I'm so glad it's over with now though. I'm done with physics forever!!! Or until I take it in college...Thanks for reviewing.  
  
Katie: You didn't review this chapter, but as to your other one...I understand about homework, trust me. About Remus and Sorai...I don't want there to be a love connection, though I agree, it did appear that I was hinting towards one. I don't want to have any relationships in this story, but if I do it probably will be them. As for now though, I want Remus to be like a brother to her. I guess I was misleading there...but I didn't mean to be! I wish I could have seen what you thought of 17, but I understand how life can be...a pain in the butt! So thanks for reviewing, I really just wanted to make sure you hadn't died! You went from reviewing every chapter to not reviewing any...just had to check!  
  
  
  
"Poor kid," Sirius said to Sorai as they sat in the living room after Harry had gone up with the dog. "I knew something like this would happen, I just knew it...why'd it have to be on his birthday, Sor? Why?"  
  
Sorai put an arm over her brothers shoulder and said, "I don't know Sirius. I guess it's just the way the cookie crumbles. Harry's a strong kid though, I've already noticed that, he'll make it through."  
  
"I hope so...God! Why didn't I do anything though? I knew they were going to try to pull this on Remus, I should have said something sooner, tried to talk them out of it."  
  
"Sirius, there's nothing you could have done. The ministry's screwed up. You know that, you've seen it. Only time will tell what will happen to Remus, but you need to hold together until that time comes. This is not your fault Sirius, you need to stop blaming EVERYTHING on yourself. There's nothing you could have done to help Remus."  
  
"If I had never come here he wouldn't be there. Do you understand this Sorai? He's going on trial because he HELPED me. If I had just stayed away nothing would have happened."  
  
"Then what kind of a friend would Remus be? Friendship goes both ways and you don't seem to realize that Sirius. Remus couldn't have let you stay out there all alone, that would have killed him, you're his best friend."  
  
Sirius laughed bitterly, "And look where that got him. This all goes back to my stupidity with Wormtail, you know that. If I hadn't done what I did that night..."  
  
Sorai purposely fell off the couch looking exasperated and put a hand to her head dramatically. Sirius didn't look impressed at the mocking. "Sirius," she began leaning up on her elbows. "You need to stop blaming yourself for that one, it's really getting old. Anybody would have done exactly what you did in that position. Why can't you just let it go?"  
  
"I know anyone else would have done the same thing! But they didn't...I did! And if I hadn't, so many things would be different...better!  
  
"Yes, but you did what was right, and you've paid the consequences for it. And now its over...over! You need to move past it Sirius, get over it. This is only hurting you, holding you down. Do you want to be happy?"  
  
"I am happy...or I was until they took Moony away. I was perfectly happy, here with Harry and Remus. Someone's up there, trying with all there might to make me unhappy. Why?"  
  
"I'm so sorry Sirius, I know life hasn't always been the best for you...but holding all this blame on your shoulders isn't going to help you. You need to stop it, I don't know how many times I've told you that, and I imagine Remus and Harry have many times as well."  
  
"I just can't help it Sorai, someone's always to blame and it's usually me."  
  
"No, it's not...its Voldemort, Sirius."  
  
Sirius grinned sheepishly at this, "That's exactly what I told Harry."  
  
"Smart guy you are some times...Just need to learn to take your own words to heart, as I'm sure Harry did."  
  
Sirius nodded, "I guess I'll have to try."  
  
"Good, and I'm going to go to bed, I have to work early tomorrow."  
  
"Night," Sirius said and hugged her.  
  
"Night, don't stay up brooding, okay?"  
  
Sirius nodded and watched her climb the stairs.  
  
He sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair before flopping tiredly down on the couch. Tears were in his eyes, but he wouldn't let them fall. He had had too many tragedies, and this wasn't one yet. The outcome of the upcoming trial will show whether or not it becomes one.  
  
Sirius sat there, cross legged thinking about the past and the future when he heard a light patter on the stairs. He looked up to see the new puppy bounding down the steps. Upon seeing Sirius, James ran towards the couch and jumped onto Sirius's lap. Sirius grinned at the dog and said, "Hey you, why aren't you up there keeping Harry company? That's what Remus got you for you know?" James looked at Sirius like he was insane. Sirius laughed lightly and scratched the dog behind the ears, just where Sirius liked to be scratched when he was a dog. James seemed to like it as well, as he curled up in Sirius's lap and gave him a look as if to say, "continue."  
  
Sirius just sat like that for an hour or so, stroking the tiny dog. He was nearly in a trance by then, when all of a sudden something came tumbling down the stairs.  
  
"Holy Shit!" Sirius yelled, standing up quickly and letting James tumble to the floor with a yelp. Sirius ran towards the stairs as he saw Harry fly down the last few steps and land in a heap on the floor.  
  
"Harry, Harry are you okay? What happened?" Sirius said kneeling down and trying to help Harry straighten out.  
  
Once Harry was sitting up and had caught his breath he said, "I'm fine, I was just trying to see where James was and fell down the stairs...I guess my legs haven't strengthened like I had thought they had." Sirius pulled Harry to his feet.  
  
"Are you sure you're okay Harry?" Harry nodded, but Sirius was skeptical.  
  
"Let me see you walk," Sirius commanded.  
  
Harry didn't look like he wanted to and said, "Really Sirius I'm fine, go sit back down I'll take James and get out of your hair."  
  
"You're not in my hair Harry, now walk to the couch and sit down," Sirius said shortly. Harry wasn't going to argue. He hadn't seen Sirius mad, and didn't want to. He took a few steps towards the couch and then swayed, nearly falling over, but Sirius caught him before he could.  
  
"What is it Harry, your legs?" Sirius asked concerned.  
  
"No, I'm just kind of dizzy and my head hurts." He said, as Sirius threw his arm around his waist and guided him to the couch.  
  
"Did you bump it?" Sirius asked kindly, all traces of the slight anger he had shown gone.  
  
Harry nodded and Sirius began to lightly touch different spots on Harry's head. Harry flinched as Sirius got close to the part that hurt. He heard Sirius take in a sharp breath and pull his fingers back. Harry saw that they were covered in blood.  
  
"Nothings wrong Harry? You're head is literally gushing blood." Sirius said worriedly.  
  
"I'm sorry," Harry said timidly.  
  
"Don't be sorry Harry, just tell me the truth next time." Sirius said as he began to examine the cut more closely. "This is really big Harry, I'm going to have to do a spell...sit tight, I'll be right back."  
  
Harry leaned back against the couch and shut his eyes, then lost consciousness.  
  
Sirius returned with his wand and found Harry passed out on the couch, blood beginning to trickle down the side of his face. "Shit!" Sirius yelled. He really didn't know what to do. "God, I wish Moony were here, he'd know what to do," Sirius thought to himself. He finally decided he would go the muggle way and take Harry to the hospital. He threw his wand onto the couch and scooped Harry into his arms, then headed for the kitchen. He found a clean rag and pressed it firmly against Harry's head, the hurried out to the car. Sirius didn't actually have a license to drive, but had learned when he was younger. He placed Harry on a seat carefully and then climbed in himself. He started the car quickly and backed down the road. Once they were on their way, Sirius pulled Harry against him and kept applying pressure to Harry's head. They arrived at the hospital much sooner than they should have. Sirius pulled up to the ER entrance and left the car running as he carried Harry into the waiting area. He propped Harry up in a chair and then went to the desk. "My...er...son over there fell down the stairs...he got a nasty head wound, and is bleeding really badly. I think he has a concussion too."  
  
"The boy right there?"  
  
"Yeah, that's him."  
  
"He's lost consciousness then?"  
  
Sirius nodded.  
  
"Can you tell me if he was unconscious directly after he fell or not?"  
  
"I helped him to the couch and checked out the cut before he lost it. He passed out when I went to get my...er...a cloth for his head."  
  
The nurse nodded, "And how long ago was that?"  
  
"About twenty minutes...are you going to help him or not?" Sirius nearly shouted.  
  
"The doctor will be right out. Sit with him and make sure he keeps breathing."  
  
Sirius looked downright panicked now. "He might stop breathing?"  
  
The nurse looked at him kindly. "Don't worry sir, the doctor will be out very shortly for him. But if he does lose too much blood he could die. He'll be one of the fist patients I'll have the doctor see."  
  
Sirius nodded and then went to sit with Harry, watching him closely.  
  
The nurse was right and in no time the doctor was out to check on Harry. He brought a wheelchair with him and helped Harry into it. Then Harry, Sirius, and the doctor went to a small room where the doctor began examining the wound. "How did this happen?"  
  
"He fell down the stairs."  
  
The doctor looked at him suspiciously. "He looks rather old to be taking falls down stairs."  
  
"Harry recently overcame temporary paralysis, he's been doing fine, but towards the end of the day he gets weak. He tried to walk down the stairs, and they gave out on him. Why, do you think I did this to him?"  
  
"No, I don't, but it's standard procedure to be sure that abuse was not a factor, I believe your story. Are you his father?"  
  
"Yes," Sirius said without a second thought.  
  
"How was he paralyzed?"  
  
Sirius wasn't sure what to say, so he went with the truth. "He used to live with his aunt and uncle, horrible people. They used to beat him. One night I guess it got pretty bad, and he just couldn't move from the waist down. That's the night I came to get him."  
  
The doctor was stitching up Harry's head as they talked. "Why wasn't he with you to begin with."  
  
"His parents died when he was a baby and he was put into their custody. That was a big mistake."  
  
The doctor stopped what he was doing, "I thought you said you were his father."  
  
Sirius looked the doctor square in the eye, "I consider myself to be. I'm actually his godfather. I was unable to take him in when he was a baby, so he was sent to live with his only relatives. I wish I could have been there for him."  
  
"I'm sure it wasn't your fault," the Doctor said finally as he cut the string from Harry's wound.  
  
Sirius grinned gratefully at the doctor. "Is he alright then?"  
  
The doctor nodded and sat Harry up. "He does have a concussion, but it's not severe so I'm going to send him home. I'll need you to return with him in a week to have the stitches removed."  
  
"Alright, thank you doctor....How much do I owe you?"  
  
"Do you or Harry have insurance."  
  
Sirius had wizarding insurance but that of course would have done no good here. He shook his head.  
  
"Then it will cost you about 50 pounds (don't have a clue about British currency, so I'm sorry if I'm way off here). And an additional 25 pounds for the removal of the stitches. You can pay it all when you bring him back, alright?"  
  
"Yes, thank you," Sirius said as he picked the still unconscious Harry up. He carried him right out the door and then stopped dead in his tracks. The jeep had been moved. Sirius didn't know what to do at first, he had never been the most rational thinker. Then it occurred to him that someone was obviously going to move it. Other people needed to get through there. He carried Harry around a corner and saw an old man sitting on a bench. He approached the man and asked, "Do you by any chance know where they put cars that are in the way?"  
  
The man slowly looked up at Sirius and nodded, "I take care of the cars that are left there," he mumbled. "Which one is yours?"  
  
"It's a jeep...a black jeep," Sirius said in a strained voice. Harry had finally been getting up to the normal weight of a fifteen year old kid, which Sirius thought was great. However, it did make it difficult to carry him for such a long time.  
  
The man thought for a few seconds and then nodded his head, "Yes, I remember your car...I'll just go get it for you."  
  
"NO!" Sirius yelled, "Just tell me where it is and I'll get it myself." Sirius didn't want to even think what could happen if the old man fidgeted with the special controls Remus had on the car, and he didn't want to take the risk.  
  
The man looked suspiciously at Sirius but told him where his car was anyways. He then reached into his pocket and extracted a handful of keys. "Which of these are yours?"  
  
Sirius looked in the pile and then pulled out the ones that belonged to Remus. "Thank you," he said shortly and then broke off in the direction the old man had told him. He found the car in no time and began his drive home. Sirius had his arm securely around Harry as they drove. When they were half way there, Sirius hit a very large bump in the road, sending both Harry and Sirius flying off their seats. This brought Harry back to consciousness. He sat up looking delirious and then turned to Sirius.  
  
"Where are we? What are we doing?" He mumbled.  
  
"You lost consciousness after that big fall you took. You were bleeding terribly, Harry. I brought you to the emergency room, and they fixed you up. You got ten stitches bud, that's a lot." Harry reached up to touch the sore spot on his head and flinched. There was a bandage their, but the slightest bit of pressure caused sharp pain in the wound. "Don't touch it," Sirius said, laughing slightly at Harry's tired stupidity. It was clear the boy was exhausted. At being laughed at, Harry elbowed Sirius in the ribs. Causing Sirius to laugh more. He then put his arm back around Harry's shoulder and they drove the rest of the way home in a comfortable silence. When they got back in the house, Sirius helped Harry back onto the couch.  
  
"Hey Sirius?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Why didn't you use magic to heal me?"  
  
"Well I was going to and then you passed out...I thought you might have had a concussion and I was right."  
  
"Why didn't you just enervate me?"  
  
Sirius looked at Harry dumbfounded. He hadn't even thought of that. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish until Harry started laughing at him.  
  
"I was too worried about you to think clearly I guess," Sirius said before standing. "Lets get you to bed."  
  
Harry yawned and then nodded. "What time is it, anyway?"  
  
"Well let's just say it's not you birthday anymore."  
  
Harry laughed lightly and then allowed Sirius to help him up the stairs. He felt capable of climbing the stairs on his own, but knew Sirius was too worried about his well being to let him try. When they reached Harry's room, they found James lying at the foot of Harry's bed. "Oh, so now you want to be here?" Harry said.  
  
Sirius laughed and went over to the bed to pull back the blankets. Harry crawled under them and Sirius tucked him in like he was a little boy. Harry didn't seem to mind. Sirius then sat on the edge of the bed. "I was really scared there Harry."  
  
"I know, I'm sorry."  
  
"You could have died...then what would I have done? I would have lost both you and Remus."  
  
"But I'm fine," Harry said, wanting Sirius to stop worrying so much.  
  
"Harry, if anything happens to you..."  
  
"It won't...I'll be more careful."  
  
Sirius still looked very anxious. It then hit Harry just how much he meant to Sirius. He had known that he felt like without Sirius his world would end, but he didn't think Sirius felt the same way. Harry smiled reassuringly, trying to show that he was alright now, but was unsure of how to loosen Sirius's mood. He still didn't look happy though, so Harry yawned in hope that Sirius would move on.  
  
"Alright, I'll let you go to sleep now, but first, do you need anything?"  
  
"No, I'm fine."  
  
Sirius gave him a look, "You said that before and you needed ten stitches."  
  
"Yeah, but I'm fine now, I promise. Do you want to see me walk again?"  
  
"No," Sirius said laughing, then turned serious, "what if I hadn't made you do that?"  
  
"I would have passed out before I made it up the stairs...you would have known something was wrong either way."  
  
Sirius again didn't look impressed. "Harry I want you to promise me something."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Promise when something is wrong you WILL tell me. Why didn't you earlier."  
  
Harry looked down at his feet, "Well, it was kind of embarrassing falling down the stairs, I didn't want to make an even bigger deal out of it."  
  
"You don't need to be embarrassed here, okay Harry."  
  
Harry nodded seriously.  
  
Sirius looked like he was going to leave when a thought popped into Harry's mind, and he voiced it. "What do you think Remus is doing right now?"  
  
Sirius breathed out slowly. "Probably what I had to do. They probably have him in a holding cell all alone...and cold. Left with nothing but his own thoughts. And he has to stay there longer than I did. Thinking about what the next few days would hold. His trial's the day after tomorrow. We're going."  
  
"Poor Remus...he doesn't deserve this."  
  
"I know....Goodnight Harry, I love you," Sirius said pulling Harry into a tight hug.  
  
"Love you too, night." Harry laid back on the pillows and watched Sirius walk to the door and shut off the light. Harry then fell into a dreamless sleep.  
  
The next day flew by, though Sirius was highly protective of everything Harry did. He even insisted on watching every second of Harry practicing quidditch. Harry wasn't thrilled with the overprotective routine, but he didn't make a big deal about it. He liked knowing how much Sirius cared for him.  
  
The day of the trial Sirius and Harry woke up early. They got dressed up nicely and headed straight to the ministry headquarters where they walked right past the cell where Remus was being held. "Sirius, Harry?"  
  
They stepped up to the cell and Harry swallowed hard. Remus looked awful. He was wearing the same clothes he had the day of the birthday party, and his hair looked similar to Snape's. Sirius looked down at the ground, guilt written all over his face.  
  
"Remus, are you okay," Harry croaked.  
  
"I'll be fine Harry...what time is it?"  
  
"It's ten," Sirius said solemnly. "Your trial's in half an hour. I brought you clean clothes."  
  
"Thanks Sirius," he said quietly. Sirius passed the clothes through the bars and then whispered a quick cleaning spell, to make Remus look nicer. However, Remus still looked pale and sickly. Almost like he did when he came out of the basement after the full moon. "You should all go get seats," Remus said, sounding like he had already lost the trial. They obeyed and walked silently into the courtroom. In what seemed like no time at all the minister of magic walked into the courtroom and took a seat at the stand just like at Sirius's trial. Only this time he wasn't followed by a jury. This decision was going to be made solely by the minister. Harry looked around to see where Remus was, but found him no where in sight. Suddenly, however, a door in the side of the courtroom opened and Dumbledore came through, supporting Remus with his arm. He led Remus to a seat at the front of the court and then went to sit with Harry and Sirius.  
  
"Why's Remus in such bad shape, Sirius?" Harry asked.  
  
Sirius sighed. "He never got a chance to recover from the full moon. He needs time after that, time to relax, and they obviously didn't give him that."  
  
"Will he be okay?"  
  
"Depends on the outcome of the trial," Sirius said his voice as tense as a bungee cord, ready to snap. Sirius didn't say another word, he just stared unnervingly at Remus in the front of the church, who in turn stared just as unnervingly into nothingness at the back of the court.  
  
Harry then turned to Dumbledore, "Do you think he even has a chance professor? I mean, Sirius really was innocent of all charges...but Remus actually did what they're accusing him of, what do you think is going to happen?"  
  
Dumbledore looked intently into Harry's brilliant green eyes, which were currently filled to the brim with pain and worry. Dumbledore put a hand on his shoulder, "Your guess is as good as mine, Mr. Potter. You are right that Remus did indeed do what they are charging him with, but it's not always so simple. You see, Remus did break the law, but he did it for good. In a normal case, that alone would let him off of all charges. As you of course know Remus is a werewolf, and the man he was hiding is Sirius Black. Now you know as well as I do that despite his innocence Fudge and many other ministry officials do not trust Sirius at all, nor do they trust Remus as he's a werewolf. Fudge still believes Sirius is guilty. Thus, I am completely uncertain as to how this trial will play out. I just pray that for once Fudge does the right thing. He has a lot of trouble with that you know."  
  
Harry nodded, the worry in his eyes now beginning to deepen. Clearly Harry hadn't thought along the same lines as Dumbledore. He had pictured it as a more clean cut decision.  
  
Harry sat in silence, thinking for a few minutes when Dumbledore interrupted his thoughts. "If you don't mind me asking, my dear boy, what did you do to your head?"  
  
Blushing, Harry lightly touched the white bandage on his head. "I...er...fell down the stairs last night. Sirius had to take me to the emergency room."  
  
"Indeed, well then, you must be more careful around those stairs. Remember Mr. Potter, you're still healing, don't outdo yourself. You're not superman after all."  
  
Harry smiled and marveled at the fact that Dumbledore knew who superman was at all. He shook his head and stared at Remus, like Sirius. The courtroom soon quieted down a little and Fudge stood up and began to speak. He then turned to Remus and started firing questions at him. They weren't why questions, they were what questions, a sure sign that Fudge already knew what the verdict would be. Harry did too, and he could barely breath as he tried not to cry. The end of the trial soon came and Dumbledore once again addressed the courtroom, "Mr. Lupin has stated that he did indeed know of Sirius Black's whereabouts for at least two full years. Lupin has also confessed to harboring the wanted convict in his home for at least one year. Lupin made no effort to inform the ministry of what he knew. Thus, I find Remus Lupin guilty of withholding information from the ministry and harboring an escaped convict. I have taken into account that Sirius Black has been proven innocent. Thus, I will lighten the sentence slightly. Remus Lupin will be held in the Azkaban fortress until December 15 of this year. Good day." With his final words, he stepped down from the bench and walked straight out of the court. Harry glanced with tear filled eyes at Sirius to see he was shaking violently, and looked otherwise catatonic. He put a hand over one of Sirius's and squeezed it tightly. Sirius showed no sign that he noticed. Harry then looked at Dumbledore whose head was down in defeat. "Of course," thought Harry, "It was Dumbledore who sent Sirius to stay with Remus in the first place."  
  
Harry watched as another ministry official stood up to the podium and said, "The ministry will allot fifteen minutes for Lupin's family and friends to come forward and say their goodbye's." The official then stepped down and Harry stood up. He then realized that Sirius wasn't budging. He was still sitting, shaking, and gazing off into nowhere.  
  
"Sirius," Harry said bending over Sirius. "Come on, we need to go say goodbye to Remus. Sirius, snap out of it." Harry's voice was breaking as he spoke the words. He was scared. One of the men he had grown to consider a parent was being taken to prison, the other was going insane. Harry didn't know what to do.  
  
Dumbledore stepped up next to Harry and put a hand on his shoulder. "Go talk to Remus, I'll talk to Sirius."  
  
Harry nodded and walked towards the front of the church. A few people Harry didn't know were speaking to Remus, but they cleared out when they saw Harry approach. Remus stared at him with glassy eyes and then spread his arms to hug Harry.  
  
"I'm so sorry Harry," he muttered.  
  
"Sorry, why should you be sorry? You're the one being taken away."  
  
"Yes, but I'm leaving you. Sirius and I both swore that we would never leave you...and now I am."  
  
"It's okay Remus, you'll be back...by Christmas. You'll be back and the three of us will have a great Christmas together."  
  
"If I make it," Remus whispered.  
  
"Don't say that," Harry said, a tear rolling down his cheek.  
  
Remus hugged Harry to him tighter and rubbed his back as Harry cried into his shoulder. Harry recovered relatively quickly and they pulled a part.  
  
"Now, I have to ask...what did you do to your head?"  
  
Harry sighed and then grinned at Remus, "I fell down the stairs. Sirius had to bring me to the emergency room. He was in a panic I guess...I passed out so I don't really know."  
  
"Gotta be more careful on those stairs then," Remus said strictly.  
  
"That's what Dumbledore said."  
  
"Well it's true, I don't think he could stand loosing us both."  
  
Harry shook his head sadly.  
  
Remus scanned the courtroom, "I take it Sirius isn't handling this well."  
  
Harry shook his head and dried his eyes. "He's really scaring me. He's staring into nothing, and shaking like mad. He hasn't said a word. Dumbledore is trying to bring him out of it. Looks like it's working." They were both looking at Sirius, who was now looking directly at Dumbledore and nodding his head. After a few more minutes Sirius and Dumbledore stood and made there way to where Remus and Harry stood. Dumbledore first pulled Remus away slightly and spoke to him for a few moments. Sirius walked up to Harry and put his arm over his shoulders. "Sorry about that, Harry," he whispered.  
  
"It's okay, I understand...just don't do it again, you had me pretty scared that I was about to lose both of you." Sirius pulled Harry into a hug and mumbled he was sorry. Harry just shook his head. The three of them, always took the blame for everything. They always felt guilty for everything.  
  
Dumbledore and Remus were again approaching, so Sirius stepped away from Harry and pulled his best friend into a strong embrace. "I'm so sorry Moony, I'm so, so sorry."  
  
"It's okay Padfoot, really, it's not your fault."  
  
Sirius just shook his head. His whole body was trembling again.  
  
"Sirius you need to stay calm. You're scaring the shit out of Harry, and me too. I'll be okay, it's only a fraction of the time you spent there, and you're fine now."  
  
"Moony, you know as well as I do that I am far from fine. And Azkaban's going to be worse for you. You can't turn into an animal at will, Rem. That's the only reason I survived."  
  
"Thanks for the encouragement Padfoot," Remus said sarcastically.  
  
Sirius shook his head, "I'm serious Remus...I have some advice though. Always think of something unhappy, never focus on what's good in your life. That's what drives people insane, they try to think of what was good...but the can't remember. Think about how you did what was right...and are now being punished for it...okay Moony. Don't let them take your mind."  
  
Remus nodded seriously.  
  
"I'm going to miss you buddy...what am I going to do without you?" Sirius asked with his voice tight as before, and so full of pain.  
  
A tear ran down Remus's face at the sound of his voice, usually so happy and full of life. Remus shook his head and pulled Sirius into a tight hug. The last they would share for a while.  
  
Remus then stepped back up to Harry and pulled him into another hug. "Harry, take care of Sirius for me, okay?" Remus felt more than saw Harry nod his head. "I love you Harry, bye." He kissed Harry quickly on the head and broke from the hug. Tears were again streaming down Harry's face and Remus's as well. A ministry official then put some kind of spell on Remus and steered him out of the courtroom, Dumbledore followed. That's when Harry fell apart. He sat down on the floor and buried his face in his hands. He felt Sirius squat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Tears were streaming down his face as well. "Let's do this at home Harry."  
  
Harry breathed deeply and tried to dry his eyes. Sirius did the same and they both stood and walked out the door. The moment they stepped outside, Harry heard a very unwelcome voice say, "Geez Potter, it's not like they gave the werewolf a death sentence."  
  
Harry turned sharply in the direction of the voice and saw his rival Draco Malfoy leaning against the side of the building. He glared at him with all the anger he could muster through his sadness. "Can it Malfoy!"  
  
Malfoy stepped away from the wall. "He won't last more than a week in there, Potter. A werewolf like him...the dementor's are going to rip him to shreds."  
  
Harry couldn't think of any thing to say so he just kept glaring. "I hope the convict will be enough support for you Potter, imagine, a prisoner and a werewolf for parents."  
  
"Shut up Malfoy!"  
  
"Ooooh I'm scared now Potter,"  
  
Sirius stepped up to Harry and put a hand on his back, "Let's go Harry." With that they both stepped away. Malfoy was yelling nasty things behind him, but with Sirius there, none of it mattered. Malfoy's hope had already come true, Sirius's support was enough for Harry.  
  
  
  
A/N: There you have it, another chapter done! That one did take a while, but I had so much fun working on it! Next chapter or the chapter after Harry will be returning to Hogwarts...I'm actually dreading this part. Unfortunately, we won't be seeing to much Remus for a while, but trust me he'll be missed but never forgotten! I have the rest of the story all planned out, and it probably won't be more than thirty chapters. Which means I'm over half way done. I hope everyone is still enjoying this story. Please tell me by reviewing! 


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Another chapter done! This was another week from Hell in case you were wondering! But, I still managed to get this chapter up and not come last place at my ski meet, that's a first! So, I hope you enjoy this story, but before you read it, I have news! I have found a new real life Lupin, since my first moved away. This one doesn't really have the right hair, but he definitely had the face, voice and personality. God, I wish I was the one casting those movies!  
  
FlyinHigh: Don't cry! It's alright! Thanks for the review!  
  
Wonder: LOL, that chapter wasn't that sad was it? The sadness probably won't stop until the very end, hope you don't mind, but I like to write sadness, it makes me glad that I'm not that sad, ya know? Anyways, it feels SOOOOO good to be done with physics, and I just found out that I got an A on my final project, everyone got an A, although we definitely didn't deserve it...but HOW, can you choose to major in physics?!?! Well, maybe having a half way decent teacher helps you with that a little! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Melissa Lupin: I agree, Malfoy should go to prison, but he hasn't done anything yet...hopefully he will later on though. Thanks for the review!  
  
Ella: It had to be done, I assure you, but everything will be all right. I also will assure you that Harry will not be having a girlfriend, I'm really bad with romance stuff, and all ships concerning Harry or Ron make me want to hurl, so have no fear. Sirius will not be the new teacher, but I just realized that I was going to have to decide on someone to fill that position...I may have to use an oc, or I could use one of those names mentioned in the books but never elaborated on....Thanks for the review!  
  
Rhiain: Thanks for the review! Here's some more for ya!  
  
Kanzer: Did you mean did I have to make the court scene so long or Remus's sentence? I actually thought I was letting Remus off easy, but I guess it could have been shorter. Harry will either go back to school in the next chapter or the one after that. Depends on how much space the meat of the next chapter takes.  
  
Lucretio-del-alba: Did you really cry? A lot of people say that but I don't know if they're serious or not. Anyway, I am trying to make this story sad, cuz that's what I like, but please tell me if it gets to the point of being sappy, okay? And thanks, I'm glad you think I'm a good writer, sometimes I wonder. This chapter is my first try at anger, tell me how you think that went!  
  
Moonlight: Hehe, that is exactly the kind of review I was trying to elicit with that last chapter. You glared at me!!! LOL, I promise, Remus will be okay in the end, but who knows how long it's going to take for him to get to that point.  
  
John: About Malfoy, I wanted to show again that Sirius was all Harry needed to handle anything, even Malfoy. He was able to get rid of Malfoy no problem with only a few words from Sirius...Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Lil Lupin: I'm glad you like the story, keep reading and reviewing!  
  
Padfoot1979: Yeah, that was a depressing chapter, that's what I like...ever read a Lurlene McDaniel book? Those are depressing. We will see Remus in the next chapter, and maybe some more later on, but until close to the end, we'll be seeing very little Moony.  
  
Lamina Court: I do get carried away with review reviews sometimes, but everything my reviewers write spark all kinds of stuff in my head and I can't stop writing! And, you did leave me a few good reviews that I had to comment on, and you actually criticized, I like that! Anyways, an eye for an eye huh? I promise Remus won't die, but he may be a little, er...off for a bit...But he'll be alright in the end. I feel the need to tell everyone that, though I'm probably ruining a small aspect of the story by doing so.  
  
Katie: Yes, the full moons are going to be awful while he's in Azkaban, that's why I elaborated so much on them...It's okay if you don't review every chapter, I really don't mind, sometimes I just don't feel like reviewing stories either, especially when I have piles of homework to do....like right now...About the timing of the story, the Austin Powers thing probably is off, but I don't think it was too much of a stretch. As to the problems in the middle east, since before I was born there have been problems there, and I think that was all I was trying to point out...I actually don't even remember writing that part though, so I can't tell you for sure what I had meant! Thanks for the review!  
  
Harry-luver200316: Harry's not a butt kicker!!! LOL, I'm glad you liked the chapter, keep reading!!!  
  
A.Dee: LOL, I know the feeling of being yelled at to get off...I better get this done before I have the same problem, I really want to get this chapter out tonight! Reason I couldn't do the same thing to Remus as I did to Sirius: That would be SO BORING!!! Don't you think? I can't have the same thing happening each time! I have love hate feelings for Malfoy, in this story its definitely hate though...keep reading and reviewing!!!  
  
Phoenixfeather: I did it because I thought it was necessary! Your review made me laugh, I hope you didn't cry! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Carolyn: Yup, Harry's life's the pits...but it will get better, Remus will return (eventually) and a happy ending is the plan!  
  
Amy Potter13: Remus will be okay eventually, I promise thanks for reviewing!  
  
Aeryn Alexander: I was hoping people would be surprised with me putting Remus away, the story can't be all crisis to nothing in no time at all...it would be boring. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Tiger Lily: LOL, Remus will serve his entire sentence, he did break the law, there's no going around that...but a nice court would have taken into account that Sirius was innocent and not pressed charges, but we're talking Fudge here. Thanks for the review!  
  
FairyTale: Not much left to say to you, but I will repeat how much you scared me, like a teacher, "you're walking on thin ice here," LOL Keep reading and reviewing please!  
  
  
  
Sirius and Harry rode home in complete silence. Sirius's face tight as he drove the distance. He would have gone home the quick way, but Remus had never gotten around to showing him how to use it, and he really didn't feel like getting himself lost after all that had happened that fateful day.  
  
About twenty miles from the Lupin Loft Harry shakily asked a question he had been thinking about the whole way home, "Do-do you think he'll be okay?"  
  
Sirius sighed deeply and stared straight ahead at the road for a moment, then stole a glance at Harry. The boys face was scrunched in a worried expression, and he was biting his lip. "I really don't know Harry...I mean- I've seen people lose it after a month...and Rem's a werewolf, so it's going to be really, really hard for him. If you asked me if he'd make it through a sentence like mine...I'd say no in a heartbeat. He wouldn't survive that. I do worry that he won't make it through till December, but he may. Remus is one of the bravest people I know-I have faith in him...I know he can potentially get through it, but I don't know if he will-Harry, I just don't know."  
  
Harry nodded, his face not changing in the slightest. Sirius put his arm over Harry's shoulder and they drove the rest of the way home in silence. Sorai was waiting in the kitchen when they arrived home. She looked around, didn't see Remus, and knew exactly what had happened. "Oh God," was all she said. Sirius nodded and slumped into a chair at the table. Sorai knelt in front of her brother and began whispering questions to him. Harry saw that Sirius was getting upset again, and knew that if Sirius got upset he'd get upset, so he decided to leave the room.  
  
Harry slowly made his way to his room where James greeted him at the door. Harry bent down and picked up the small puppy and brought it to his bed. He sat cross legged, hugging the small dog to him. The dog seemed to know that Harry was upset, and made no effort to get out of the rather uncomfortable position. He simply was there for his master when he needed him. Harry didn't cry, he was beyond that really. He was upset beyond tears. It wasn't even just that Remus was gone for a couple of months. Harry of course was going to miss him, but with the absence of Remus, Harry knew there would be an absence of a small part of Sirius as well. It was like Harry was losing both of his new parents.  
  
Harry really didn't know how to deal with such a situation as this, so he just continued to hug his dog to him and rocked back and forth on his bed.  
  
Downstairs, however, a less calm scene was taking place. After Harry left the room, Sirius did indeed breakdown yet again. "Sorai, he's gone, he's really gone! Sorai, he's going to die and it's all my fault! He's not going to make it in Azkaban, I know it he's not!"  
  
Sorai pulled her younger brother into a hug. She was expecting a reaction like this from her brother. "Sirius I told you this before, this is not your fault, if it were...it would be everyone's fault...everyone's! Do you understand me?" she said gently. He nodded slightly but still shook with sobs in his sisters arms.  
  
"Now, Sirius, you can't give up hope. If you say that Remus isn't going to make it, he probably won't. Have faith that he will, and he will. You can't just give up, because I'm sure he's not. Your friend will overcome this, Sirius, just like you did...do you think he'd let you show him up like that?"  
  
Sirius laughed sadly, "You're right Sorai, you're always right...but I've seen it there-it's brutal. Remus could make it through no sweat, he has the right mind set, but he's a werewolf Sor...you've seen what happens after that...do you know how many full moons he's going to go through? Five...and do you know how much time he'll have to recover from those full moons? None....none."  
  
Sirius put his head in his hands and continued to sob for his friend. Sorai even let a few tears run down her face. Sorai gave Sirius some time to let his tears out. When they began to slow she brought up another point. "You have a fifteen year old boy upstairs Sir, don't forget that. He just lost someone who I think he considers a parent. He's going to need you more than ever now. You have to keep yourself together. Help him through this, and he'll return the favor...he just needs to know how."  
  
Sirius nodded and wiped the few remaining tears from his eyes.  
  
"You need to keep up hope Sirius, especially around Harry. You may have cynical ideas about this, but don't let Harry see that...okay?"  
  
"Yeah," Sirius said in a small voice.  
  
"I love you little brother," she said pulling him into one more hug.  
  
"I love you too Sor...I'm glad I made you come here," Sirius mumbled into her shoulder. Sorai laughed slightly at the last remark. She then stood and left the room, leaving Sirius alone with his thoughts.  
  
He sat alone like that for the better part of two hours, but never shed another tear. He just thought things out, and tried to see the situation as the glass half full where he was previously seeing it as half empty. It did help to slightly lighten his mood, and he was ready to talk to Harry.  
  
He trudged up the stairs and stopped in front of Harry's closed door. He knocked twice but received no answer. Slightly worried by this, Sirius pushed the door open a crack and stuck his head in. He smiled at what he saw. Harry was lying asleep on his bed with James curled in a little ball across his chest. One of Harry's arms was wrapped securely over the puppy. Sirius opened the door all the way and walked over to the bed. He sat on the edge, hoping not to wake either of its occupants, and found that he was successful. He sat there for a while stroking Harry's hair with one hand, and scratching the dog's head with the other. Harry woke up just as Sirius was about to drift into sleep himself.  
  
"Hey Sirius," Harry muttered in a tired voice. "Whatcha doing?"  
  
"I just wanted to see how you were holding up."  
  
"I'll live," Harry said simply.  
  
Sirius shook his head. "I want you to do more than just live Harry...I want you to be happy."  
  
"Maybe tomorrow...but today I can just live."  
  
Sirius sighed at the remark and looked down at the puppy who was still asleep on Harry's chest.  
  
"I think little J here wants you to do more than just live too Harry. He doesn't want you left alone."  
  
Harry smiled as he tried to get a full view of the dog he felt more than saw on his chest.  
  
"He's keeping me warm," Harry said smiling again and petting the dog.  
  
Sirius looked expectantly at Harry, who looked back quite confused. Harry didn't know what to say, so he just let his mouth do the thinking, "I know we just saw him a few hours ago...but...I-I miss Remus."  
  
Sirius nodded his head, "Me too, and that feeling is just going to keep getting worse until we see him again."  
  
"We really won't see him till December?"  
  
Sirius shook his head.  
  
"But...aren't prisoners allowed visitors?" Harry asked and the immediately regretted it. The moment he asked the question Sirius's face fell into a panicked expression, and he looked down, almost in guilt.  
  
"What is it?" Harry asked when Sirius never responded.  
  
"It's just...I can't go back there Harry...I can't. It would bring back too-too much. I couldn't take it-and seeing Moony like that...." he trailed off with a shiver.  
  
Harry knew he should let the issue go, but couldn't leave it there. "But...I could go. I'm sure he'd like some visitors...maybe Sorai could take me."  
  
Sirius bit his lip and nodded slowly. Harry could tell though that Sirius didn't want Harry within a 100 mile radius of Azkaban. He finally decided to let that discussion drop. Sirius looked relieved. "You want dinner Harry? I don't feel like cooking, but we can order in."  
  
Harry shrugged, not really caring either way. Sirius then said, "Pizza it is," and grinned at Harry, trying to lighten both of their moods. It didn't really work. "I'll bring it up here when it comes, what do you like on it?"  
  
Harry had one of those looks like he was surprised beyond belief by the question. Despite the heavy mood Sirius had to laugh at him.  
  
"Harry...?"  
  
"Ummm...whatever you get is fine."  
  
"We can get it half and half if you want Harry."  
  
"Uhhh..." Harry said, looking slightly disturbed.  
  
"What's up Harry?" Sirius asked a worried look coming over his face.  
  
Harry blushed, "I've never had pizza..."  
  
Sirius looked stunned, "Never...pizza? The way your cousin looked you never had pizza while you were there? In fourteen years?"  
  
Harry looked down, "Oh he had lots of pizza...they considered it to good to share with me...when they ordered pizza I got to make myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Between the three of them they polished off two whole large pizzas, and Aunt Petunia would only eat one piece. I-I don't know what it taste's like...but it always smelled so good."  
  
"Those filthy...ah never mind. You're in for a treat tonight. My favorite's pepperoni...how about it. Pizza's always the best medicine for anything. Maybe it'll take our minds off all the shit that happened today....Do you want to come downstairs with me or do you want me to bring it up when it arrives and eat in here."  
  
"Whatever you feel like, Sirius...I really don't care."  
  
"Up here it is...Sit tight Harry, you'll get your first taste of pizza in twenty minutes or less," Sirius quipped in a commercial voice. He was trying to be funny, but Harry was just not taking the bait. Sirius sighed and left the room.  
  
It was indeed almost exactly twenty minutes later that Sirius returned to Harry's room carrying the pizza box and two plastic plates, as well as two large plastic cups of Coke. He handed Harry a cup, placed the pizza in the middle and sat at the foot of the bed. He took a slice of pizza and put it on a plate and handed it to Harry, then took one for himself. Harry didn't touch the pizza, he just sat there staring at it. Sirius noticed this only after he had devoured three huge bites of his own slice.  
  
"What's the matter, Harry?" Sirius asked with a mouthful.  
  
Harry shook his head and stared at the pizza then shook his head again. "I can't eat it."  
  
Sirius put his plate down and stared at Harry, "Why not, Bud?"  
  
"How can we enjoy this while Remus is stuck in a jail cell...do they even feed him there?"  
  
Sirius nodded grimly, "Yeah, they feed the prisoners...cold soup."  
  
Harry shuddered, thinking of the Dursleys.  
  
"It's okay Harry, you don't have to eat it if you don't want to...but remember, we have to keep living and now is as good a time as any to move on. You'll kill yourself if you dwell on this too much."  
  
Harry nodded grimly and grabbed up his pizza again. He sunk his teeth into it but didn't actually take a bite. He let the pizza fall back on his plate as he leaped off the bed and started running out of the room. Running wasn't something Harry had mastered since his paralysis, and he took a spill just as he was going through the doorway, as he fell he began to throw up.  
  
Sirius set his pizza down and flew to Harry's side, holding him up slightly so he wouldn't get his face in his own vomit. When Harry had cleaned his body of whatever was left in it, Sirius helped him up.  
  
"I'm so-so sorry, I tried to get-to the bathroom," Harry said in a shaky voice, tears in his eyes. Harry had some vomit on his arms but Sirius didn't care, he through one of Harry's arms over his shoulder and helped him over the puddle on the floor and to the bathroom, saying, "Come on Harry, lets get you cleaned up."  
  
Sirius helped Harry sit down on the toilet, the previous situation took a lot out of him, and he could barely stand on his own. He helped Harry get his stained t-shirt off then grabbed a washcloth and ran it under the sink. He gently wiped Harry's face, neck and arms clean. Next, Sirius grabbed Harry's toothbrush, prepared it and then let Harry set to work on getting the awful taste out of his mouth. When Harry had to spit Sirius helped pull him up and leaned him over the sink. He then left Harry there for a few moments while he magically cleaned the puddle in Harry's doorway, took away the pizza and soda, and grabbed him some clean pajamas. After helping him put the pajamas on Sirius again put one of Harry's arms over his shoulder and guided him back to the room. James was waiting patiently at the foot of the bed. Harry smiled weekly at the puppy. Sirius sat Harry at the end of the bed and pulled back all the blankets before helping Harry lay back in them. Once Harry looked comfortable James came trotting along and curled himself up against Harry's side.  
  
"That dog really likes you, Harry."  
  
Harry nodded and patted the dog gently.  
  
"Harry, are you sick or was that about Remus?"  
  
Sirius watched color return slightly to Harry's face, but wasn't happy that it was because Harry was blushing.  
  
"Don't be embarrassed Harry...Was this because of Remus or do I need to go get some Pepto-Bismol?"  
  
"I'm not sick...I just-keep thinking of him there Sirius. I get these awful images in my head about what it must be like, and it makes my stomach churn...and then the pizza...it just set me off."  
  
"I'm not going to lie to you Harry, Azkaban's a living Hell, but I already told Remus the easiest way to get through it all, and I think he'll be alright. Just stop thinking about it. Don't forget about Remus, but don't dwell on it, it'll kill you, Harry. I think tonight was a good sign of that."  
  
Harry nodded seriously and said, "I'll try, but I don't know if I can."  
  
Sirius gave Harry a crooked smile and messed his hair before giving him a big hug. "Rest up Harry, and don't dwell on this, okay? I can't say that enough. Do you want some dreamless sleep potion or something?"  
  
Harry shook his head not wanting to be any more of a bother. "Night Sirius," he croaked.  
  
"Night bud," Sirius said, giving Harry a small peck on the top of his head before walking out of the room and turning out the light. Sirius then went to bed himself.  
  
Several hours later he was awoken by yelling from Harry's room. He quickly made his way over there to see Harry thrashing in bed and yelling things Sirius couldn't understand at the top of his lungs. James was hopping up and down beside him barking furiously. Sirius pulled out his wand and yelled "enervate" and Harry stopped thrashing for a moment, then jumped up in bed, looked around wildly and then collapsed back down onto the mattress in sheer terror. Sirius ran over and put his hands on Harry's shoulders and felt how severely Harry was shaking. He was severely short of breath as well.  
  
For a few moments Sirius just sat there staring at Harry, who was staring right back at him with eyes full of fear. "Harry," Sirius finally said, "What happened?"  
  
Harry shook his head and Sirius gave him a look that said, "If you don't tell me I'm never going to leave."  
  
So Harry began to talk, "I-I dreamt that-that I was in Azkaban too, except things-thing weren't right. And a dementor came by-and he-and he tried to give me the Dementor's kiss, and then you-you woke me up...thank you."  
  
"Was that all that was in the dream Harry?"  
  
Harry looked down with tears in his eyes and shook his head. Sirius pulled him towards him in a gentle hug and he whispered, "What else?"  
  
"I was in the same cell as Remus...and he was dead...it was awful." Tears were now streaming down Harry's face as Sirius rocked him gently. Harry buried his head in Sirius's shoulder. He was embarrassed about crying over a nightmare, but Sirius showed now sign that he thought lowly of Harry for it. Thus, Harry just let himself be comforted.  
  
Sirius just sat there holding his godson for nearly half an hour, whispering things like, "Shhh, it was just a dream...Remus is okay, he's still alive...that won't really happen."  
  
"I'm so so-sorry I woke you up Sirius, you should go back to bed."  
  
Sirius shook his head and said, "Get back under the cover's Harry."  
  
Harry obeyed, but didn't want to go back to sleep.  
  
Sirius saw this and said, "Harry you need to sleep. If you don't you're only going to get worse, and I don't want to see that happen. I'm going to stay by your side, Harry, don't worry, just sleep." Sirius wrapped his arm around Harry, and leaned against the headboard, resting his chin gently atop Harry's head. But he didn't fall asleep, he just couldn't after what he had seen in that dream. Sirius was out like a light in minutes, but Harry kept his eyes open until morning.  
  
When the clock by his bed turned nine and Sirius was still asleep, Harry decided it was time to move. He eased Sirius off to the side and then climbed out of bed. He still felt relatively weak but made it to the bathroom, showered and got dressed. When he returned to his room, Sirius was starting to wake up. He took one look at Harry and groaned.  
  
"You didn't sleep at all after that nightmare did you Harry?"  
  
Harry nodded and then looked at the face Sirius was making and shook his head, signifying that he didn't sleep at all that night. Sirius climbed off the bed and stepped up to Harry who was standing exhaustedly by the door. He put an arm around Harry and walked him out the door and downstairs. "Tonight Harry, tonight I'm giving you some potion, got it? You really can't go on like this, do you hear me."  
  
"I hear you Sirius, but-I can't help it. It's like my mind just takes over and there's nothing I can do."  
  
Sirius sighed, "Do you think you can hold anything down today?"  
  
Harry nodded, "I just don't want to go all out on anything, when I do, like last night, I think of Remus and how drastically opposite everything is for him...can we just have cereal?"  
  
"Of course Harry, of course."  
  
They ate their cereal in silence and afterwards Harry went to sit outside in the sun. After a while Sirius came outside and joined him. "I have an idea for something that may take your mind of Remus, Harry."  
  
Harry stared at Sirius, "What?"  
  
"This is kind of a two birds with one stone thing, I think your legs still need to be strengthened a lot, so I'm going to train you to run."  
  
"Train me...?"  
  
Sirius nodded, "Before I went to Hogwarts I went to a muggle school where we had track, I learned all the skills needed to be an excellent runner. Once you get the basis down, running becomes more than just exercise, it's a form of relief...kind of like you can take your aggression out on the road, understand?"  
  
Harry nodded, grinning slightly.  
  
"When do we start?" Harry said, excited about getting something in his life that would take his mind elsewhere.  
  
"Now if you like...I don't have anything I need to do. Why don't you go change into some gym shorts and a t-shirt."  
  
"Alright," Harry said and got up to leave. Sirius, who was already dressed for a run, sat back and smiled to himself. He knew that this wouldn't be the solution to all of Harry's problems, but knew that there was a good chance that it would help him at least a little. Harry was back outside in no time, with an expression of expectation upon his tired face.  
  
"Are you sure you're up for this Harry, you really look awfully tired."  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine, lets do it."  
  
"Okay," he said standing up, "First we have to stretch, especially you, because of the accident..." Sirius led Harry through enough exercises to stretch every muscle in the body.  
  
"Good, you ready to start?"  
  
Harry nodded, but looked a little worried.  
  
"What, Harry?"  
  
"Well...after last night, do you think I'll have enough balance not to fall again?"  
  
"That's what we need to work on. Focus on that right now, not speed."  
  
"Right," Harry said. Sirius broke into a slow jog, and Harry followed close behind. For Sirius, it was no problem, but Harry was huffing and puffing after the first three minutes. With occasional walking breaks, Harry and Sirius made there way deep into the wooded area beyond the house. They continued there run until they reached a small river. It was a beautiful, picturesque sight, and Sirius sat on a rock at the edge of the water, he took his sneakers and socks off and plunged his feet into the cool water. He motioned for Harry to do the same. Once he had, Sirius said, "When I first lived here with Moony, right after Hogwarts this is where I would come whenever everything became too much. Something about this area just calms me down no matter what kind of a mood I'm in. I want you to remember this place. Whenever shit becomes too much for you, and you don't feel like talking to me, come out here. It'll help you feel better."  
  
Harry grinned at his godfather, "Thanks Sirius."  
  
"Just remember though, if anything serious is happening you come to me, don't leave too much inside Harry, okay? Promise?"  
  
"Yeah, I promise."  
  
"Good," Sirius said, standing up. Harry stood as well and Sirius put his arm over his shoulders, and they walked leisurely back to the house.  
  
The next day Sirius took Harry to get his stitches removed. The doctor seemed to be suspicious about the relationship between Harry and Sirius, especially after his previous talk with Sirius, but he didn't ask anymore questions and sent Harry home with a clean slate.  
  
Harry's state improved as the days went on, and soon he was back to his normal self. He seemed to not worry about Remus at all anymore. September 1, was looming ahead, and Sirius was dreading it. Harry had been staying with him for over a month now and he wasn't ready to see his godson leave. They were as happy as could be considering their circumstances. That is, until a little talk they had three days before Harry returned to Hogwarts.  
  
Harry and Sirius sat in the living room, discussing Harry's upcoming return to school and what he still needed to get for supplies. They got on the topic of a new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor and Harry started thinking about Remus.  
  
Suddenly, he blurted, "I want to see him."  
  
Sirius looked stunned for a moment and then said, "What?"  
  
"Remus, I want to see him."  
  
"Harry, I don't think that's the best idea."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Harry, do you remember how long it took you to get over Remus getting taken away? You had visions of how he was being treated, and now you want to go see the real thing? Harry, what you see at Azkaban haunts you for the rest of your life. Five minutes in there you'll never forget. I'm not going to let something else into your head that's going to haunt you like that. No."  
  
"Sirius, I'll be fine. Yeah, it took me awhile to get over it, but I'm fine now aren't I?"  
  
Sirius looked at Harry calculatingly. "I really don't know if you're fine or not."  
  
Harry ignored that statement and said, "I want to see him, Sirius...I miss him."  
  
"I miss him too Harry, I miss him like he's dead! But seeing him the way he is now is not going to help, do you hear me? It'll just make the pain you feel for him ten times worse."  
  
"I don't care...He's suffering there, he's lonely, he needs someone to visit him, and I want to see him! Why can't I just go? I already talked to Sorai, she said she'd take me. You know, he'd probably like to see you too, but since you're to scared...or selfish to go back there, I have to have Sorai take me...though it would mean much more I'm sure if you went!" Harry yelled scathingly.  
  
Sirius stood up with a look of pain and anger on his face. "That is not fair Harry! You know what I went through in Azkaban, you know! How could you even say that? I'm not going, and you're not going either, for one reason: It will only make everything worse. You think Remus is going to want you to see him like that. Yeah, I bet he does miss us, more than we miss him, but he is NOT going to want you or me to see him like that. He doesn't like being looked at after the full moon...this is going to be SO much worse. God-Harry! Why can't you just trust me?"  
  
"Because I think you're wrong."  
  
"Well, you know what? I'm your godfather and I get to call the shots. You're not going and that's final!"  
  
Harry's face was beat red in anger, he balled his fists and yelled, "Fine Sirius! Fine! But don't expect me to be happy now, okay? I need to see him...to make sure he's alright!" With that, Harry stormed up the stairs, went to his room and slammed the door. James gave a loud bark from the bed at the noise. He was now nearly full grown and took up half the bed. Harry went and sat next to him and he put his head on Harry's leg. Harry petted the dog's head and began to talk to him in a soft, much calmer voice, "He doesn't understand. I don't just want to see Remus to see him. I need to make sure he's alright, that he's still breathing. How can I make him see that? He just doesn't want me anywhere near Azkaban, I guess he's right that it will be dangerous...and I know I'm not going to like what I see...but it's something I have to do...and I'd like to do it before I go back to school."  
  
The dog gave Harry a surprisingly sympathetic look. It was as though he had understood everything Harry had said, and that alone calmed Harry down a lot. He sat for a while gathering his thoughts, trying to think up a good defense for himself and then went to talk to Sirius again.  
  
After the argument Sirius slammed his body down on the couch roughly. He couldn't believe what Harry had just said to him. Was he being selfish by not wanting to go back to Azkaban? No matter how he looked at it Sirius couldn't figure out how his feelings could be construed that way. He knew Remus would understand, and that's all that mattered to him. Sirius just didn't like having Harry so mad at him. He remembered times where he used to get that angry with his own father, and hoped he would never put any kid through that, but he just did. No matter how he looked at it Sirius couldn't find a good reason to let Harry go to Azkaban, so he decided to hold firm.  
  
Sirius was still upset, however, and decided to take a run to his spot. He hurriedly through his sneakers off and sprinted out the back door.  
  
Harry walked down stairs nearly a half an hour after Sirius left and searched the house. He noticed Sirius's shoes were gone, and knew instantly where he was. Quickly he threw his own shoes on and ran out in the direction of the river Sirius had shown him nearly a month ago. Harry's running had improved drastically with the help of Sirius. Everyday for the rest of the summer the two would take a long run. He was now as good as Sirius.  
  
When the river came into view Harry stopped running. He looked around and saw Sirius sitting on a large rock with his head in his hands. Harry felt bad. He slowly walked towards where his godfather sat. When he reached a point, Sirius turned and looked at him with sad eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry," Harry said.  
  
"Me too," Sirius replied. Harry walked over and sat next to Sirius on the large rock. Sirius put his arm over Harry's shoulder.  
  
"Do you really think I'm being selfish?"  
  
Harry sighed and shook his head, "No...I was mad, I said whatever I could think of...I understand...But Sirius, I don't have anything like that. I can handle going to Azkaban for a little while. It's something I want to do...I need to do. I know you think I'm doing fine now, but I'm not. I need to make sure he's alright, I need to see it with my own eyes."  
  
Sirius nodded and was quiet for quite a while. Harry decided it was best to keep quiet for that moment. Finally, Sirius looked at Harry and nodded his head.  
  
Harry looked at him confused, "What?"  
  
"You can go Harry, tomorrow...if Sorai can take you. But the last day before you leave you're mine, got it?"  
  
Harry laughed and nodded, "Thanks, Sirius."  
  
Sirius nodded. He still looked worried about the idea but decided that Harry was right, he needed to go. He needed some kind of closure with Remus.  
  
"Are you ready to go back to the house?" Sirius asked Harry.  
  
Harry nodded and stood, brushing dirt off his shorts. Sirius did the same and they walked back together, talking as though the earlier fight had never happened.  
  
They both showered after that and then sat down together for dinner. "Sirius, did you like having visitors when you were in Azkaban?"  
  
Sirius looked sadly at Harry and shook his head, "Harry, people didn't like me too much while I was in Azkaban...I only had one visitor while I was there...Remus. It wasn't pretty. He didn't like me very much then, either...I had never seen him that angry, and I haven't since. I tried to tell him the truth, but of course he didn't believe me. I would have liked visitor's though, Harry, yes."  
  
"I'm sorry Sirius, I didn't think...that was a dumb question."  
  
Sirius smiled at Harry, a sign that he really didn't mind the question.  
  
The two spent the rest of the night watching old movies together. Around 1:00 AM Sirius yawned and said, "You have a big day tomorrow, you should get some sleep."  
  
Harry agreed. He gave Sirius a hug and went up to bed, yawning as he walked.  
  
Then, Sirius sat down and wrote a very long letter to his best friend, Moony.  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: There you have it, another chapter underway! Next chapter we'll see exactly how Remus is doing and maybe, but not definitely the Hogwarts Express will pull in. Please read and review...I should have a lot of free time this week, so you may not have to wait too long for the next chapter! 


	20. Chapter 20

First things first, I'd like to apologize for the horrendous mistakes I made in the last chapter. I wrote that before taking a run Harry through (not threw) his sneakers off...umm yeah. I was having one of those days when I wrote that. One of my friends asked me if I remembered to bring home a book on AIM, and I responded, "Yes you did." I did a similar thing to another friend, and to another friend wrote what I meant to write to one of the others! It was such a confusing evening, I was not doing well with words!!!  
  
Second: The beginning of this chapter isn't very good at all, I was too excited to get Harry to Azkaban that I didn't do a very good job with the before stuff...My apologies!  
  
BIG NEWS!!! Those who've been reading this story for a while will now that I had an absolute Remus look a like, who was a student teacher at my school, but he finished up like two months ago and I was SOOO sad!!! Well today I was in the Media Center at school, I turned in my seat, and guess who was there!!! The student teacher!!! He spent the whole day up in the media, so guess where I tried to be every minute of the day?!?! Awww, it was so great to see that guy again, I hope he comes back to visit some more...I don't really now why he was there, but I hope it lasts!!! He seriously was one of the major inspirations of this story. (It's now later in the week...haven't seen him since...but it was still nice to see him again!)  
  
Tiger Lily: What won't be forever, this chapter? Thanks for loving my story : )  
  
Moongirl: I will make Remus suffer as much as every other prisoner of Azkaban there ever was. Sorry puppy eyes won't help the chapters come out faster...I'm doing the best I can I swear! Life just gets in the way of fiction...  
  
Moonlight: No glaring at the author! Hehe, so did you like the father/son conflict? I don't think I wrote it all that well, but it was fun to do. I always have the problem of giving up fights to easily in real life, and I think I do the same with my writing...I'd like to say that everyone will be okay, but I can't assure you of that. I know a few who will stay till the end, but who knows who else may go.  
  
Ella: Thanks for the review...ugh you've reminded me of the DADA professor. I seriously have not yet decided who it will be. I think I'm going to make up a character because I really don't like fic's where its Arabella Figg or Mundungus Fletcher. Some people do it really well, but I don't want to. The final results of Moony won't be in for a while, so keep patient!  
  
Kanzer: You thought that chapter was boring? It was one of my favorites to write so far...I don't know why. I can see how it would be boring though, don't be sorry! I like getting a little criticism now and then, or I get a little full of myself!  
  
Ish-bob: First, I love your name! That's awesome! Second, do you not like these notes at the top? I don't expect readers to read them all, just the ones that are written to them. I know it takes up a lot of space but I feel like I have to respond to reviewers, I love when people respond to my reviews! Anyway, you're about to see Azkaban, I hope its not like your grandmother's house because that would be very, very sad. PLEASE tell me its not : ).  
  
Lamina Court: Hope this wasn't too much of a wait. About the letter, I thought that since Sirius couldn't be there in presence, he should still be able to tell Remus what he's thinking. I did it to make both of them feel better. Trust me, I wouldn't hit Remus while he was already down, no way.  
  
John: Thanks for the review! Excellent in every way, huh? That's what I like to hear!  
  
Aeryn Alexander: LOL, it is pretty funny, people are all like "yay a trip to Azkaban" but I know what you mean. Hope I portrayed it well.  
  
Wonder: Thank you SO much! Interesting, I shatter your heart but keep you sane at the same time...very interesting! I'm glad you liked that chapter, hope you like this one too. About the letter, the idea of one popped right into my head, but since I didn't want to show the contents in chapter 19 I waited till chapter 20, needless to say I forgot most of what I really wanted it to say, but I think over all it came out okay. Cool that your studying astronomy. I briefly thought of doing that, but have settled on medicine...that's what I'll be doing next year!  
  
Padfoot1979: Lurlene McDaniel books are all the way depressing. I think maybe one out of all the millions that I've read had a happy ending. I think I just like being sad! I'm glad you're getting on the sea-saw with the characters, it's cool that I'm taking you readers on a ride with them!  
  
Rhiain: This chapter is pretty sad, but I don't think its one that you readers will cry over. But then again, I never thought I'd really make anyone cry. And I'm glad you liked the fight...I liked writing it though I think I could have made it better.  
  
Katie: LOL, you know I actually did forget about writing the part where Harry was mad at Remus, but I did remember eventually. When I wrote that it was the first fight scene I had I didn't think about it but I remembered after I put the story up...but that really was ages ago! The reason I skipped a month was because it would have got really, really boring. I didn't have anything happening that month so I would have had to go through what they did every single day, and that would have been really hard. Truth be told I missed writing about Remus, LOL. And you were right, I've got a lot of area to cover before Christmas comes in Potter land. Trust me, you don't want me to stretch this story too far. Have you ever read fics that never end? They get SOOO boring that you kind of just forget about them. I really hope I get this done before book 5 is released for two reasons 1) it would make the fic au in an instant 2) nobody will be reading fanfiction for at least three weeks. No, you're not a freak, fanfiction has become my world. I skip homework to do it, I even skipped going out with my friends once to read one story. I usually do pick my friends over it though. It's just such a good way to use up my excess time...which I'm beginning to have very little of. Now I've written you a whole lot of stuff here, keep reading and giving me long reviews!!!  
  
A.Dee: About that recurring theme...when you get upset do you ever feel nauseous? I do, but I never get upset quite like Harry, so I figured if I did I'd throw up...and I have seen someone throw up because they were so upset, so I like to make it happen. It's better than just having him cry all the time right? Yeah, Harry has now been to Azkaban, hope you like his little voyage there. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Carolyn: You think Harry's being an ass? LOL, Harry wants to go because he misses Remus THAT much...Don't get yourself too worried, okay? I did actually consider doing some of the things you asked about, but they don't fit with my plan...I guess that should make you pretty happy.  
  
Fairy Tale: Hey, hey, hey, Remus had to go to Azkaban...it was crucial! Hehe your review had me laughing. I'm glad to hear that I did a good job with the anger situation, you are the queen of anger the way you had Harry at the end of the final battle...btw I loved when he was in the room with Remus...anyway, you're right!!! You had to wait until this chapter to see what the letter says, people are curious about it which always gets me worried, I hope I did a good job! What's so funny about Pepto-Bismol? I don't get it...well I guess it would be kind of weird out of context but....Nope, I don't have an update schedule, though I should. For me some weeks are insanely busy and others are so boring I want to shoot myself, so I never really know how soon I'll have a chapter out. I try to get at least one a week. But now that I'm posting today, Friday, I may be able to get one out sooner, as it's the weekend! LOL, I definitely don't live in Paradise, try New Hampshire, USA. And I think its just that I have a very active imagination. I can see millions of people as Remus, and Sirius. (my old Remus came back!!!!). Thanks for reviewing!!!  
  
Melissa Lupin: Have a little faith in Harry! Don't worry, I didn't have any chaos planned for that chapter, as you'll see. I hope you weren't expecting an action packed trip to Azkaban because this is not it. Thanks for reviewing though, I hope you like this!  
  
Silver Sirius Girl: Thanks for the email! Cooler than the other side of the pillow huh? Thanks! I hope you keep reading the story. And if you do ever write a fanfic let me know, I'd love to read it!  
  
  
  
Harry woke the morning of his trip to Azkaban with butterflies flying hyper- speed in the pit of his stomach. He hurriedly showered and dressed before meeting Sirius for breakfast, who looked just as nervous, if not more so. Very little conversation passed between the two during the meal. Sorai came down eventually as well, and ate her breakfast quickly. Before Sirius was ready, it was time for Harry and Sorai to go. They were to arrive at a time where the dementor's wouldn't be directly present, though they could still have their general affect.  
  
"How are we getting there?" asked Harry with a slight tremor of fear in his voice.  
  
Sirius replied, "I'm driving the two of you to the edge of the anti- apparation/portkey area. Then Sorai and you will portkey to the outskirts of Azkaban, from there you'll take a boat."  
  
Harry nodded and they all walked to the door. Harry climbed in the backseat of the jeep and Sorai in the front with Sirius, and they drove off down the long driveway. They drove for at least ten minutes and then stopped at the edge of a road, cut off from everything and climbed out of the car. Sirius ignored his sister completely and took Harry by the shoulders, "Harry, this is going to be tough, I think you understand that, but I want you to be really careful. If it gets too much for you to take get yourself out of there immediately, alright? Now, while you're there I want you to do something. Give this to Remus," he said giving Harry the letter he had spent hours perfecting the night before.  
  
"What is it?" Harry asked.  
  
Sirius shook his head and said, "Never mind that, just give it to him and make sure he reads it. This could be life or death. I want you to tell him I'm really sorry, that I wish I could be there too. Tell him Harry."  
  
"I will Sirius, don't worry. It'll all be fine."  
  
"I hope so Harry."  
  
"Sirius, we have to go or we're going to get the Dementor's," Sorai said impatiently.  
  
Wrapping his arms around his godson Sirius whispered, "Good luck Harry, be careful...I love you."  
  
"Love you too, Sirius," Harry replied, then pulled away and walked toward Sorai who was holding an empty fried chicken bucket.  
  
"Grab on Harry," she muttered. Harry did just that and then felt the familiar catch behind his naval. In no time they halted and found themselves at the outskirts of an eerie forest, beside a large lake that was covered in a low haze. This alone freaked Harry out beyond belief. His teeth were chattering despite the 80 degree weather. Sorai didn't look at all scared, however. She muttered a spell under her breath and a boat appeared in front of them. Sorai pulled Harry to the boat and they both got in. Just like during his first trip to Hogwarts, the boat disembarked on its own and began steering itself. After a while, Harry began to see the outline of the Azkaban fortress. It wasn't really what Harry had expected, just four huge concrete walls, no windows at all. There was only a small area of beach surrounding the huge fortress, and no fences or anything else, but those concrete walls keeping the prisoners in.  
  
Before Harry was ready, the boat halted in a sandy area just before the entrance to the prison. Harry took a very deep breath and stepped out of the boat, followed quickly by Sorai, who was for the first time that day looking nervous. Perhaps it was due to her own imprisonment with the Deatheaters and Voldemort. Whatever it was, it wasn't helping Harry cope with his own fear very well at all.  
  
Sorai sighed, grabbed Harry's hand, and pulled him towards the large entrance to the fortress. It was really more like a hole in the wall than an entrance they noticed as they went in. They both stopped dead in there tracks when they passed into the fortress. It really was a living hell, only cold. Everything was concrete with metal bars. Dirt was everywhere, and there was a pungent odor that Harry knew he would never forget. It was what he expected rotting bodies to smell like. Harry scanned the large, open area they were currently in. The entire prison was one large room, separated into tiny cells containing nothing but a prisoner. They had no beds, no pillows, and no toilets. The prisoners lay shivering on the concrete floor, wearing filthy clothes, probably what they had been wearing the day they first arrived. Some of the prisoners were singing in slow sad tones, the words were discernable to Harry, but he could tell they were lyrics of sheer lunacy. He simply prayed that he wouldn't find Remus doing the same thing.  
  
An old cranky wizard came out from behind a desk at the front of the prison. Harry found it surprising to see a desk of all things in a place such as that, but it was there.  
  
"Whadya want?" he croaked angrily.  
  
Sorai put her hand on Harry's shoulder and said firmly, "We're here to see Remus Lupin."  
  
The old man looked surprised, "Da werewolf?! Wha' 'choo wanta see da werewolf fo'?"  
  
"We're friends, and he's more than just a werewolf you know?" Sorai said indignantly.  
  
"O' course...right this way. Da werewolf is kep' in da back so he don't get loose when da full moon comes." The old man started hobbling down a row of cells. Sorai and Harry followed. Harry couldn't help but stare at all the inmates in their horrid state. Never had Harry dreamed Azkaban would be this bad, even after seeing what Sirius had gone through. It was no wonder Sirius refused to go back.  
  
Harry forced himself to stop looking at the prisoners, as he was beginning to feel nauseous. The deeper he went into the fortress, the more he felt the presence of the dementor's, though it was no where near the magnitude he had felt them at during his third year. It just gave him a chill, deep inside.  
  
At last, they reached the back of the fortress. They turned right and walked a bit more, and Remus came into focus. Harry bit his lip as he continued to walk closer. Remus was either asleep or unconscious on the floor of his cell. He was covered from head to toe and dirt, and looked at least twenty pounds lighter than when Harry had last seen him. His hair was matted down from grease, and he had formed an equally greasy beard. Harry could have started crying then and there from the sight, but fought the urge.  
  
The old man took out his wand and aimed it at Remus's cell, he muttered something and the door swung open. Harry and Sorai stepped inside and the old man quickly shut the door behind them and muttered another spell.  
  
"I'll be back in fi'teen minutes, you be out just before da dementor's return."  
  
Sorai watched the old man hobble off while Harry bent down and tried to wake Remus. He shook him slowly at first, but when that didn't work, he shook harder, though was gentle in case Remus was wounded in some way. When he still didn't wake up, Harry felt for a pulse. It was there, and fairly strong, which assured Harry greatly, though he was frustrated that he couldn't wake Remus.  
  
He felt Sorai kneel next to them as well, she pulled out her wand, which Harry thought she probably shouldn't have, and enervated him. Remus's eyes slowly cracked open, but other than that it was like he was still asleep, that is until realization dawned on him. A shocked expression came over his face, and then a look of pure joy. Remus tried to sit up and speak, but was obviously in a lot of pain.  
  
"Wha-what are y-you do-doing here?" he mumbled quietly. He hadn't said two words in a month, and it was obvious to Harry and Sorai.  
  
Harry scooted closer to Remus and said, "I missed you so much Remus...I had to see you again before I went to Hogwarts."  
  
"I-I missed y-you too H-Harry, m-more than you-you'll ever know," Remus stuttered before pulling Harry into a very shaky hug.  
  
"A-and Sorai," he mumbled, pulling her into a hug as well.  
  
Remus turned back to Harry, "How's P-Padfoot?"  
  
"He's doing alright, he's sorry he couldn't come, he couldn't handle coming back here."  
  
"I u-understand, t-tell him I d-don't mind...b-but I m-miss him a lot," Remus just barely managed to get all that out. Harry couldn't figure out the exact cause of the stutter. He knew it was either out of fear, pain, or cold. He reached out and grabbed Remus's filthy hand and found that it like ice. Harry had worn a sweatshirt around his waist, thinking the weather around Azkaban would be much cooler than at home. He pulled the sweatshirt off and stepped closer to Remus. He helped Remus put his head and arms through the appropriate holes and pull it down all the way.  
  
"Th-th-thanks Harry," Remus said, looking down, ashamed.  
  
"Remus...how...how has it been? Is it as bad as you thought?" Harry asked tentatively.  
  
Harry was slightly happy to hear the stutter beginning to disappear from Remus's voice as his body heat began to rise. "It's worse than I e-ever imagined. It's so cold...and lonely...and the dementor's! I never knew they could get as bad as they do. They come in here, and it's a flood of pain, they really suck out every last bit of happiness left. It's going to be Hell when you leave."  
  
"I wish we could take you with us Remus," Harry muttered sadly.  
  
"But you can't...I have to stay here for what? Four more months? I think I can make it...after all, Sirius did twelve years."  
  
"But Sirius didn't have to deal with the consequences of a full moon once every month, Remus. You have it so much worse than he did...I'm so sorry."  
  
Remus nodded sadly. He was looking exhausted after just that little amount of time they had been there to visit. The little visit took a lot out of him physically and emotionally. A tear trekked down his grimy face, cleaning the dirt off in a little trail and then got lost in his beard. Harry threw his arms around him and pulled him into another hug, whispering apologies for something that wasn't even his fault. Remus just started bawling once in the hug. As he let it loose, his crying got worse. It hurt to cry, everything hurt. "I love you Remus," Harry said, hoping that of all things would make Remus feel better, and it did appear to have some affect on him. His tears slowed, and he wiped his face on the sleeve of the sweatshirt Harry had given him. Harry continued to hug him, long after the tears had stopped, and Remus clung to him as well, like a life raft while he was lost at sea.  
  
"Please don't die Remus...stay strong...please." Harry muttered, squinting his eyes closed, and squeezing Remus even tighter.  
  
"I'll try Harry...for you and for Sirius, I'll try with all my might. You two are my reason for living. I love you both so much...I miss you guys...so, so much. Don't forget about me."  
  
"I'll never forget you Remus...never."  
  
Remus nodded his head, pulled away from Harry, and tried to stand up. Harry helped him to his feet, and he stood quite wobbly in his small cell. At this point, Harry saw the full extent of Remus's injuries. Remus could barely stand up straight, there was clearly something wrong with his back, and perhaps his ribs as well. There appeared to be something wrong with his left leg too, but Harry didn't have time to figure out what it was, as the old man was approaching the cell.  
  
Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter Sirius had written. "Sirius wrote this for you, he wanted me to make sure you got it and read it...don't ever let it out of your site, he said."  
  
Remus nodded expectantly, again looking as happy as he did when he first realized that Harry and Sorai came to visit him.  
  
"Time's up," the old man grumbled.  
  
"Harry, I want you to do me a few things, okay?"  
  
Harry nodded his head and Remus continued, "Tell Sirius that I miss him, and that I love him...he needs to hear that. I also want you to be good at school, don't get yourself into too much trouble...but have fun. Don't dwell on me Harry, I'll be alright. Finally, I want you to promise me that you won't come here again. I'm so happy, and grateful that you came today, but you're too young for this place. It is dark and dangerous and I don't want you here. It's not going to help you in anyway, promise me."  
  
"I promise," Harry said nodding. Remus stumbled slightly and Harry reached out to help hold him up.  
  
"Thank you Harry, remember I love you...never forget that. I'll see you in December." Remus reached forward and again enveloped Harry in a big hug.  
  
"I love you too Remus...don't forget the letter, Sirius called it a matter of life and death."  
  
Remus nodded and watched as Harry and Sorai were shooed out the door. The old man went one way and Remus and Sorai headed towards the entrance to the prison. Just as they were reaching that hole in the wall, Harry saw the Dementors filing out of an opening in the floor at the end of the prison. He quickly stepped fully out of the fortress. When he did, he heard blood curdling screams from inside, and flinched at the sound. Sorai and he climbed into the boat that was waiting for them and set off across the river.  
  
Sorai put a hand on his shoulder and he flinched. "Are you okay, Harry?"  
  
Harry shook his head, "No...but I will be." Sorai squeezed his shoulder and they continued on in silence. Once they reached the shore Sorai spoke again, "We're going to portkey to Diagon Ally, and floo home. I know that really sucks, but its better than walking all the way back to the house."  
  
Harry nodded in agreement, not wanting to create a fuss and prolong the trip home. Sorai picked the chicken bucket off the ground and brought it towards Harry, he grabbed hold and was soon in the middle of the busy street of Diagon Ally. Sorai took the bucket and threw it in a near by trash can and they walked towards The Leaky Cauldron. Just as they approached the entrance, Harry heard a voice that made every nerve on his body shudder in annoyance.  
  
"Hi Harry! How's your summer going? I can't believe that Sirius Black is innocent and now you're living with him! How long did you know he was innocent for huh? How come you never told anyone? I can't believe about Professor Lupin either! First we found out he's a werewolf, and now he's in Azkaban! Wow!"  
  
Colin Creevey. Tension was growing in Harry after every question he asked, never letting Harry get a word in edgewise. When Colin mentioned Remus in Azkaban, and actually sounded excited about it, Harry couldn't take it anymore. He pulled back his arm, and socked Colin in the eye. Colin fell to the ground in pain and Harry rushed into The Leaky Cauldron, followed by a shocked Sorai.  
  
"Harry! I can't believe you did that!"  
  
Harry turned to her, sadness written all over his face, "I couldn't deal with that at the moment."  
  
Sorai just nodded and put her arm over his shoulders and walked him towards the fireplace. "You first, Harry."  
  
Harry nodded and grabbed some floo powder. Next thing he knew he was back home, where he belonged. Sirius jumped off the couch when Harry came shooting out of the fireplace. He took one look at his godson and knew things hadn't gone well. Harry didn't say a thing, just walked straight at Sirius, threw his arms around him and started sobbing. Sirius wrapped his arms tightly around him and just held him as he cried. Sirius knew this was going to happen, but didn't think it wise to say 'I told you so.' He knew that Harry would never regret going there that day.  
  
Sorai popped in and saw the two hugging and decided to leave them be. She waved quickly at her brother and retreated to her room. When she was gone Sirius pulled Harry towards the couch and sat with him there. Harry cried for a good quarter of an hour before his eyes ran dry. For a while he just sat there, Sirius rubbing his back supportively. Then Sirius began to speak, "What happened Harry?"  
  
Harry looked up at his godfather's kind face and said simply, "You were right."  
  
"Care to elaborate," Sirius said gently.  
  
Harry sighed, "It was awful Sirius...I never imagined a place could be THAT bad. And Remus was in really bad shape...He could barely stand on his own and he was so, so cold. I gave him my sweatshirt. Nothing really even happened...it was just so terrible. How did you survive twelve years there, Sirius?"  
  
Sirius smiled genuinely at Harry and replied, "I thought of you Harry...you were what kept me going...and I think you'll be what keeps Rem going too."  
  
Harry shook his head skeptically. "I'm serious Harry," Sirius said, seeing the look.  
  
"It all just seemed so hopeless...if he's that bad after a month, than what about after two? Three? He still has four months Sirius!"  
  
"Shhh, shhh, I know Harry, but you'd be surprised how much the mind can help...and I think that little letter I wrote might assist him a bit as well."  
  
Harry looked curious about the letter but didn't ask anything, rather he asked something that had been on his mind since he first entered Azkaban, "Sirius...where do you go to the bathroom in Azkaban? I-I noticed there were no toilets."  
  
Sirius reddened slightly. He really didn't want anyone to know that he had once had to do this, but thought Harry had the right to know. "You go right there in the cell, Harry. No privacy at all. And it all just sits there all day until old man Bob comes around an magic's it all away....except when he forgets."  
  
Harry shook his head in disgust and sympathy.  
  
"Remus wanted me to tell you something," Harry said suddenly remembering.  
  
"What?" Sirius asked impatiently.  
  
"He misses you a lot, and he loves you...he thought you needed to hear that."  
  
"Bless his soul," Sirius muttered into Harry's hair as he pulled him into another hug. "He's the one who needs to hear that."  
  
Harry nodded in agreement and then the two sat there together for nearly an hour, neither speaking at all.  
  
After Harry and Sorai exited his cell, Remus couldn't bear to watch them leave. He quickly snapped his eyes away from them and stared at the wall behind him instead. He could feel that the Dementors were coming, and dreaded it. They were about to take a way the happy moment he had just experienced, and he wasn't ready to lose that just yet. Remus clenched his fists in sadness, and felt the letter that he was still holding in his hand. He quickly unfolded it and began to read.  
  
  
  
Remus, Buddy, Brother,  
  
I miss you so much, you can't even begin to imagine. I feel so responsible that it's you in there. It should be me. I want you to know that I love you Remus, and if anything should happen to you, I would never forget you. I'd spend the rest of my life missing you, and blaming myself. You truly are my brother Remus J. Lupin. Always remember that you are missed. You need to make it through this Remus, we can't make it without you. We're doing well now, but if you were gone for good, I just know that we'd all fall apart. You're vital Remus.  
  
I'm writing this letter for more reasons then one. The first is to say what I've already said, and that I'm really sorry I wasn't able to come with Harry and Sorai. I trust you understand my reasons, but I feel like I should have overcome my fear and come to see you. I feel like I failed you. But if I know you like I think I know you, you're shaking your head as you read this and you truly understand my fear. The second reason I write is the most important Remus.  
  
You can never let this letter out of your site. When the Dementors are around, they steal you're happy thoughts, but they can't steal your happy possessions. When they become too much just read this letter, and you'll make it through, they can't touch this. Remember, I love you. Harry loves you. Sorai loves you. You're missed, and we need you back here. Stay strong and you'll be okay. Good luck Remus.  
  
I love you Moony,  
  
Sirius  
  
  
  
Tears of happiness streamed down Remus's face as he read the letter. Remus tensed as two Dementors drifted past his cell, until he remembered the letter. He looked at it over and over, and it did in fact lessen the effect the Dementors had on him. The feeling they brought didn't go away completely, but it was definitely lessened. A new ray of hope shown through to Remus that day.  
  
Around dinner time, Harry was getting back to his usual self, though he was a little more subdued than usual. Sirius was happy to see, however, that he wasn't dwelling on what had happened like he had when Remus was first taken away. "Remus must have said something," Sirius thought, grinning proudly at Harry all through dinner.  
  
"So Harry, only one more day and you're off to school. You gonna miss me?"  
  
Harry smiled at him, "Of course I'll miss you. What am I going to do without seeing you everyday?" Harry turned slightly sad after this comment.  
  
Sirius was looking a little misty eyed himself. "You'll do what every other teenager does, leave me here all alone, and come back not needing me anymore, and I'll grow old and gray missing little Harry."  
  
Harry laughed and said, "That'll never happen. And you never knew me as little Harry anyway," Harry added, almost bitterly.  
  
"I wish I had," Sirius replied softly.  
  
Harry smiled, "I wish you had too...but I'm glad you do now...I'd be dead right now if it weren't for you."  
  
"And vice versa, Harry."  
  
"You'd only be dead because I would have killed you..."  
  
"Well that, and I believe you conjured a very nice patronus for me...as well as stole a hippogriff so I could escape. You've done a lot for me Harry."  
  
"Not as much as you've done for me," Harry replied.  
  
"I haven't done much Harry, not much at all."  
  
"Sirius, you've given me what I've always wanted...a family."  
  
Sirius beamed at Harry, who beamed back at him.  
  
Sighing happily, Sirius asked, "What do you want to do tonight?"  
  
"I don't want to do anything...lets just sit in front of the TV like last night."  
  
"Okay...but did you get all of your homework done?"  
  
Harry rolled his eyes, "Yes, including the three rolls of parchment Snape assigned. It's all done."  
  
"And you're sure we got all of your supplies?"  
  
"Uh-huh," Harry said.  
  
"Good, then TV it is. I get couch!" He yelled.  
  
"No way, you got it last night! And I was stuck in that old chair with the hole in it!"  
  
Sirius made a run for the living room, Harry broke into a jog behind him. They both flew for the couch and landed on it at the exact same time. They both shrugged and decided to share the couch. They ended up watching Seinfeld repeats until they were blue in the face from laughing about the show about nothing.  
  
Harry ended up falling asleep, with his head propped up on Sirius's knee. This was no surprise after the draining day Harry had. Sirius was surprised he stayed awake as long as he did.  
  
Over the past month Harry had finally reached the size and weight of a normal fifteen year old. Thanks to running, he was even beginning to get a little muscular. Thus, Sirius decided it would be impossible to move him and didn't want to risk bonking his head by levitating him up the stairs, so he decided to leave Harry there on the couch. He got a pillow for his head and a blanket and then left him there.  
  
Sirius went up to his room, and fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. However, it wouldn't be a regular night at the Lupin Loft if something hadn't happened in the middle of the night. Tonight was a repeat performance of the night after Remus's trial. Sirius was woken by the racket Harry was making during one of his nightmares. He ran down the stairs just in time to see Harry roll right off the couch. This woke him. He immediately jumped to his feet and took a defensive stance. When he realized he was alone in the living room with Sirius he relaxed and fell back onto the couch.  
  
"Another nightmare Harry?"  
  
Harry sighed and nodded. "I really was trying to not let it get to me this time...I guess I failed."  
  
"You didn't fail Harry," Sirius said plopping down beside Harry on the couch. "You can't help what you dream. What happened in this one?"  
  
Harry had to think for a moment, "It was in Azkaban again, only this time it was the real Azkaban, not just my imagination."  
  
Sirius interrupted. "So you're first dream wasn't what it really looked like? That's excellent Harry that means it wasn't a premonition."  
  
Harry looked curiously at Sirius who elaborated, "In a premonition you see things that you never knew existed, the way they really are. If it was different in you dream than it wasn't a premonition, it's not going to come true."  
  
"But...well...this one, it was the real thing."  
  
Sirius put his arm over Harry's shoulder. "Tell me about it Harry."  
  
"Well...like I said it was in Azkaban...Voldemort was there too. He was freeing all of his old followers, and then he went to Remus's cell. I was there with Remus...And Voldemort was...he was getting ready to kill Remus, and then me. He wanted Remus to go first, because he wanted me to die feeling guilty for his death. But I woke up just when Voldemort began saying the killing curse."  
  
Sirius gripped Harry's shoulder supportively. "Was that all?"  
  
Harry shook his head, "It was pretty gory. You know that old guy?"  
  
Sirius nodded and Harry swallowed hard. "He had been killed in a more brutal way then the Avada Kedavra. I don't really know how they did it, but they hung him from the top of a cell...dripping blood. It was a terrible sight." Harry shivered as he relived that image.  
  
"Did your scar hurt at all during the dream?"  
  
Harry shook his head.  
  
"Good, from what Dumbledore has told me that's a good sign that Voldemort's not actually planning to do that. I think what's going on right now is just normal dreaming. It really sucks that they're so brutal though. I wish you didn't have to deal with this Harry."  
  
"Me too," Harry said letting out a deep breath, "My life sucks."  
  
Sirius's head swiveled immediately towards Harry, his face a mixture of pain and pity. "Harry...I thought you were happy...happier now."  
  
Harry grinned sadly, "Let me rephrase. I am happy...so much more happy than I was before. I have a home now. But...I just wish...I just wish I wasn't me. I wish I never had to see the things I've seen, never had to do the things I've done. I'm only fifteen and already I've defeated Voldemort, stopped Voldemort from getting the Sorcerers Stone, killed a Basilisk, and dueled with Voldemort. I had to watch a fellow student die...And then I finally get everything just the way I want it and first you were in jeopardy, and then Remus went to prison...it just all sucks so much. It's the reason I have the dreams I do...no one else dreams like that."  
  
Sirius looked almost defeated. He shook his head and muttered, "I'm so, so sorry Harry."  
  
"God, Sirius, it's not your fault. You couldn't have prevented any of it...I am the famous Harry Potter, the boy who lived. There's nothing anyone can do to change that."  
  
"I just wish-I wish you were happy being Harry Potter. You would have been, you know? If your parents were never killed, you'd be the happiest kid on the block. I know it."  
  
"Well, I'm really happy here with you and...and Remus. Its just, you know, hard."  
  
Sirius nodded sadly. "Why don't you go back to bed Harry? You need rest."  
  
"I don't think I'll be able to sleep Sirius."  
  
"But you need to try. Remember last time?"  
  
Harry sighed deeply and nodded his head. Sirius stood and pulled Harry off the couch and they both walked upstairs and went to their respective rooms. It took a while, but Harry did eventually find his way back to his room. The next day Harry and Sirius had the fun day together they had planned on. They played quidditch, chess, exploding snap, anything that would keep them from thinking of the sad and depressing things. When the day was almost over, Sirius again tried getting Harry to eat pizza. He ordered a large pepperoni and set it in front of Harry, who looked slightly grim at the site.  
  
"This is a test Harry," Sirius said as Harry stared forebodingly at the pizza.  
  
Harry nodded and picked up a slice. He took a real bite this time, chewed for a bit and smiled. He then devoured the slice. Sirius laughed at him and started on his own. The two of them almost polished off the entire pizza in fifteen minutes. After that they sat back in their chairs and relaxed.  
  
Sirius had something on his mind that he had to talk to Harry about, but didn't want to seem too parental. He couldn't help himself though and said, "Sorai told me what happened in Diagon Ally yesterday, Harry."  
  
Harry looked down and sighed, "I couldn't help it Sirius."  
  
"What exactly was the problem?"  
  
"Did you ever have anyone around you that just drove you mad? Shoots you with thousands of questions that you don't want to talk about and won't even give you time to answer? Someone who follows you with a camera like the paparazzi? Someone who just thinks you're the greatest thing when you just want to be normal?"  
  
"Yeah actually. While we were at Hogwarts there was this kid who hero- worshiped us Marauders. He took pictures of us and wanted them signed...God he was annoying. Creevy* was his name I think."  
  
Harry's jaw dropped. "You're joking right?"  
  
Sirius looked confused, "No...why?"  
  
"Colin Creevy, the kid in Diagon Ally."  
  
Sirius started laughing hysterically, "Are you serious? That's classic! I can't believe that kid actually found a girl! Kid must be just like him."  
  
Harry didn't find it so amusing and glared at Sirius.  
  
When Sirius finally contained himself he looked seriously at Harry. "The point is you shouldn't have hit him Harry. No matter how annoying the kid gets you have no right to give him a black eye."  
  
"He's probably happy I gave him a black eye Sirius. He probably took a picture of it and wants it signed."  
  
"I don't care Harry. You know not to hit people...I know you do. Maybe you can hit that Malfoy kid, but that's it," Sirius quipped.  
  
"I didn't mean to hit him Sirius. It just happened, you know?"  
  
"Yeah, I know, and you were under a lot of stress just then. But you need to learn to control your temper in all sorts of situations...or...or you'll end up like me." Sirius said the last part rather ashamed.  
  
"Who wouldn't want to end up like you...you're so fun."  
  
"Harry, I spent twelve years of my life in Azkaban, that's not exactly success."  
  
"But you're fine now."  
  
"Yeah, but I would be a whole lot better if I never went there...if I could have controlled my anger towards Peter. I don't want to see anything like that happen to you Harry."  
  
"I won't let it...don't worry."  
  
"Okay, but I want you to apologize to this Creevy kid tomorrow. My guess is that fist won't have stopped him. He's going to be the same old Creevy."  
  
"Great," Harry muttered.  
  
"Will you apologize?"  
  
Harry nodded although he really didn't want to, but he saw where Sirius was coming from.  
  
They both went to bed early that night, as they had to get up early the next day to get ready to meet the train. Sirius was the first one up September 1st, and he had overslept. When he realized the time, he jumped out of bed in just his boxers and ran to Harry's room to find him sound asleep, using James as a pillow. He shook Harry and yelled, "Harry time to get up!"  
  
Harry woke with a start, glared at Sirius and mumbled incoherent things.  
  
"Harry, it's 10:30 we have to be at the train station in an hour and a half...you haven't even packed! Get your butt out of bed!"  
  
Harry rolled his legs off the bed and stood up. He slowly walked towards the bathroom and got in the shower. That was what he needed to wake up fully. While he was doing that Sirius (who was still in just his boxers) was in a frenzy flying clothes around the room with his wand, trying to get everything Harry would need in his trunk. He realized Harry hadn't taken any clean clothes with him to the bathroom, so he flew some to him, to speed the process. Once Sirius had almost everything packed away Harry came striding into the room.  
  
"I have most of your stuff already packed away Harry, look around see if there's anything else you want to bring."  
  
Harry searched his closet and under his bed but found nothing that he cared to bring. He knew it would all be here as good as new when he got back. Sirius seemed to have thought of everything Harry would want to have with him, including the photo album of his parents.  
  
"That's everything," Harry said sadly, sitting on his bed and looking around his room. He was really going to miss it all.  
  
"You okay bud?" Sirius asked sitting beside him.  
  
"I'm just going to miss all this...for the first time I'm not going to my home, I'm leaving it...its kind of weird."  
  
Sirius smiled at him and then stood again, "We really have to go now Harry, no time for breakfast, but I'll give you some money for on the train, okay? Now lets go." He levitated Harry's trunk and steered it downstairs to the front door. He grabbed the keys from the counter and started opening the door when he saw Harry grinning at him.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're going to go in that? I'm sorry but...I really don't want to be seen with you like that."  
  
Sirius looked down at himself and actually blushed. "Damn, I thought it was cold."  
  
Harry laughed at him.  
  
"Harry, all the girls would flock to you if I went like this."  
  
"No, I think they'd be scared."  
  
Sirius glared at Harry who could only laugh harder at him. He grabbed his wand and flicked it at himself and was then fully clothed in khakis and a polo shirt.  
  
"That better?"  
  
Harry nodded and walked out the door. Sirius followed, still levitating the trunk in front of him. They got in the jeep quickly and Sirius began driving down the driveway. Just as they were about to turn onto the main road Harry turned around and looked sadly back at the house that had so quickly become his home. He hadn't even arrived at Hogwarts yet, but he already couldn't wait for the Christmas Holiday when he could return to the Lupin Loft.  
  
  
  
*I'm thinking Creevy may have been a muggle born, but I can't really remember for sure, anyways, for this story he's not...I mean, his brothers a wizard too, he must me pureblood right?  
  
A/N: Another one down! Did you like it? Please tell me by reviewing right now...I beg you! Next chapter it'll be bye, bye Sirius... : ( My goal is to have the next chapter up by next Wednesday, but I have a ski meet this week, so I may not have the time. I'll try my hardest though! 


	21. Chapter 21

Okay, so I'm not going to do review reviews this week, because I'm confused. I have like ten different reviews from the same author name that say different things, I know that they are from different people though, but I don't know who and I don't know how to go about answering them correctly. So, I'd like to thank everyone who corrected me on Creevy, though I've decided to leave it as is. For those who don't know Mr. Creevy is a muggle milk man...just not in this story. I'm sorry to anyone annoyed by that, I hate when writers do it, but I really want to keep it the way it is....  
  
Warning!!! This isn't the best chapter I've ever written. It took me a while to do it because it was just not a fun chapter. It's surprisingly long, however, I hope you do enjoy it. Hopefully the next chapter will come out soon!  
  
Once they were well on their way to the train station. Sirius slammed on the breaks and pulled onto the shoulder of the road. "Shit! We forgot James!"  
  
Harry didn't seem to care too much and said, "It doesn't matter. I think you need him more than I do. I'll have my friends at school, you'll only have Sorai at home...and she's barely ever there."  
  
"But Remus wanted you to have him at school. He thought it would be good for you."  
  
"Sirius, its okay, really. I don't need the dog...I'll be fine. Now lets go we're already late."  
  
Sirius didn't want to, but he got back on the road and headed for the platform. Sirius quickly found a parking place and turned the car off but didn't get out. He turned and looked at Harry with tear filled eyes. Harry couldn't help but laugh at him. In response Sirius punched Harry playfully in the arm and then turned serious again.  
  
"I'm really going to miss having you around Harry. Who's going to keep me busy?"  
  
"James," Harry replied with a twinkle in his eye like Dumbledore's.  
  
"Nah, won't be the same. I want you to be good Harry, don't go looking for trouble like you always do. But make sure you don't forget your marauder roots. Everyone's entitled to some fun once in a while."  
  
"I'll have fun Sirius."  
  
"And be careful. I know you don't always like it but you ARE Harry Potter. Trouble is going to come to you faster than to anyone else. Stay alert. And watch out for the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I don't know who it is, but from what I've seen you haven't had the best of luck with those. Remus being the exception."  
  
"I'll be careful Sirius, don't worry so much."  
  
"It's my job to worry."  
  
"And its mine to wish you wouldn't."  
  
"I'm going to hug you know so I don't have to embarrass you on the platform."  
  
Harry laughed as he was forced into a bear hug from Sirius, who hugged him tight for at least a full minute. When he let go Harry took a deep breath like he couldn't breath for a long period of time before that. Sirius then gave him a noogie (SP??? You know the thing where someone rubs their fist on your head). Harry laughed and swatted his hands at Sirius.  
  
"Hey, hey, hey what did I tell you about using your fists?"  
  
Harry laughed and replied, "It was self defense." Harry then looked at the clock.  
  
"Shit! I have one minute to get on the train!"  
  
"Language!"  
  
Harry rolled his eyes and quipped, "I got it from you."  
  
Sirius was speechless, so he got out of the car and grabbed Harry's trunk the muggle way. Harry grabbed Hedwig and they set off at a jog towards Platform 9 ¾. They stopped dead when they got on the platform. Students were everywhere, no one was on the train.  
  
"Technical difficulties I guess," Sirius said looking extremely happy about it. "I get to spend more time with my boy!" Harry grinned slightly at Sirius, but then looked at all the people on the platform. They were all gawking at Sirius.  
  
"What's the matter Harry...oh," Sirius said noticing himself that everyone was looking at him. "I'm sorry Harry."  
  
Harry shook his head. "I don't mind Sirius. It's you who should mind. You're innocent, but you still get looked at everywhere you go. Kind of like me, I guess."  
  
Sirius nodded his head but looked slightly uncomfortable now that he saw everyone staring like that. Soon a distraction came, however, and he couldn't have been more grateful.  
  
"Harry!" Ron yelled, running to his best friends side. He smacked Harry on the back and said cheerfully, "What's up?"  
  
Harry was uncertain about how to react to Ron's attitude. He had expected him to still be upset about his mothers death, but he seemed completely normal again, so Harry responded, "Nothing much, you?"  
  
"Same old, same old. You happy to be going back?"  
  
"Yes, and for the first time no. I'm glad to be able to spend time with you and Hermione, and everyone else again, but I'm really going to miss Sirius, and my new home."  
  
"'Course you will. But we're going to have a great time this year. We're over half way done you know. Only three more years left."  
  
"Kind of scary eh Ron?"  
  
Ron nodded and then turned sharply when someone pushed him in the back. He looked right into the face of Hermione and was momentarily speechless. He shook his head and said, "Don't ever do that again, Hermione. You nearly well gave me a bloody heart attack."  
  
"Oh Ron, you're fine. How are you guys?"  
  
"Fine," they both said in unison.  
  
"And Sirius?"  
  
"Fine thanks Hermione, its nice to see someone actually notices me," he said looking pointedly at Ron, who just shrugged.  
  
Hermione gave him a look and then observed all the people on the platform who were still gawking at Sirius, she looked ready to contradict the last part of his sentence. "Shut up," he said as he noticed where she was going with that. She just rolled her eyes.  
  
"Do you know what's going on with the train?" Hermione asked. Sirius and Harry shook their heads, but Ron nodded.  
  
"Seamus told me that he heard that there was something on the tracks far ahead. Nobody knows what it is but it's going to block the train from getting to Hogwarts. I don't know how they're fixing it or when they're going to fix it, but I hope it happens soon. I'm hungry."  
  
Everyone present rolled their eyes.  
  
"I wonder what it is," Sirius said anxiously, craning his head to see down the front of the train.  
  
Harry saw how nervous Sirius was about it and that made him nervous. "Do you think it's going to be alright Sirius?"  
  
"I'm sure Harry," Sirius said, but not convincingly.  
  
The foreboding mood was then lightened with the arrival of Fred and George. "Mr. Marauder, how nice to see you again," Fred said shaking Sirius's hand. Harry rolled his eyes, but Sirius looked very proud at being called that. George shook his hand again.  
  
"What do you two have planned for this year?"  
  
"Lots of things," Fred said.  
  
"But first rule of pranking, as you should well know, is to never tell an adult the plans for the year."  
  
Sirius nodded. "But without me you would have never become the pranksters you have become."  
  
"He has a point Fred."  
  
"Indeed George, but still he may have changed over the years. We should tell him nothing."  
  
"Alright, alright, but just promise me that you'll leave my godson here alone."  
  
"We never prank fellow Gryffindor's Mr. Marauder, except little Ronnikens of course. You're precious Harry will be free from pranks, for more reason's than one," Fred said, winking at Harry. Sirius looked at him suspiciously but asked no further questions. The conversation was then interrupted by the whistle of the train. The conductor came out at that point and stood in the center of the platform.  
  
"Attention Hogwarts students," he said, his voice magically magnified so that everyone could hear. "We have had a technical difficulty with the tracks ahead. The problem has been fixed, but it is possible that it will reoccur. If parents feel that they do not wish for their children to ride the train they may, if they so choose, send them to Hogwarts another way. We assure the safety of all students, but the journey may take longer than expected. Thank you for your time and any inconvenience."  
  
A murmur broke through the crowd, and Sirius was happy to see that for once it wasn't about him, but he was very worried about the situation.  
  
"Harry, I don't want you getting on that train."  
  
"What? Sirius, it's going to be fine that guy just said that we'll all be safe."  
  
"I don't care Harry. Something is obviously wrong if he thinks it's going to happen again. I'm taking you to Hogwarts. And I'll take Hermione and Ron too. And Fred and George if they want. Ginny too, of course, wherever she is. I'm not taking that chance Harry."  
  
Harry looked annoyed, but he knew arguing would be pointless.  
  
"So who's coming?" Sirius asked excited.  
  
Hermione said she would like to come, but Ron looked skeptical. "I'm really hungry, I need to get some food. I was planning on getting something on the train."  
  
"Don't worry about it, I was going to have Harry eat on the train too. We'll stop and get something."  
  
"Nah," said Fred. "We have plans for this train. And someone has to see what's going on."  
  
"And where's Ginny?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Over here," she said timidly from behind him. Sirius turned and looked at her kindly. She seemed rather frightened of him.  
  
Ron walked over to her. "You want to ride with Sirius, Ginny?"  
  
"Ummm...sure," she replied, although she looked scared senseless at the prospect.  
  
"Great," Sirius said, excited. Probably only because it meant he got to spend more time with Harry. "Now lets get going. It's going to take a lot longer to get there by car. I'm going to have to try some of Remus's controls, but I don't know how well it will work so we want to give ourselves some time."  
  
They all made there way to there car and saw several other witches and wizards doing the same. When they reached the Jeep, Harry again saw the last person he wanted to see, Colin Creevy, with his dad. Sirius turned around the moment he saw him, but it was too late.  
  
"Sirius Black!!! Long time no see old friend! I was so sorry to hear about you. I knew all along it couldn't have been you. It was Pettigrew, huh? And it's really a shame to hear about Remus. He was always such a nice guy. So you're taking care of James's son now huh? That's really great of you. I'm sure he's a great kid, just like James..."  
  
Harry started snickering beside Sirius, as he saw his fists clench up, just like Harry did around Colin.  
  
"Yeah, Creevy," Sirius began tensely. "It's nice to see you again. Harry here's told me about you son. Sounds like he's just like you. You must be very happy."  
  
"Oh yes, I am. Crazy about the train, huh? I really don't want Colin here riding it if anything is going to happen. Looks like you have a whole car load. Are you taking care of all these kids, Sirius. You must have some heart to do all that."  
  
Sirius didn't answer, he just started getting in the Jeep. Harry, Hermione and the Weasley's soon followed suit. They all slammed the doors shut and took off while Mr. Creevy kept talking. Harry looked back and saw that he was still talking to the place where the car was when they were already heading down the road.  
  
Harry couldn't help but laugh and Sirius glared at him. "God! That guy hasn't changed at all! I see why you hit that kid Harry, that family has no tact whatsoever. Bring up everything bad...that's a real conversation starter." Harry stopped laughing when he saw how all the things Colin's father had said had gotten under his skin. Sirius looked really disturbed by the things he had said, and Harry couldn't quite figure out why. There must have been a lot more tension between them at school for those things to get to him like that. The three in the back realized it too as they shut right up for the next ten minutes or so while Sirius relaxed.  
  
"You guys ready to get some grub?" Sirius asked.  
  
Ron's stomach answered with a loud grumble and everyone, including the uptight Ginny laughed. The heavy mood set by Colin's father was finally lifted. They went to McDonald's, Sirius's treat and then journeyed on until it started to get dark. The trip was spent with Harry and the crew telling Sirius about all they had been through together. Ginny even joined in and told him about her experience with Tom Riddle. Then Sirius started telling stories about his days at Hogwarts. It was a hysterical ride, and Harry was glad that Sirius made him stay off the train.  
  
But it was getting late, very late and they still were no where near Hogwarts. Sirius decided it was time to try the magic controls Remus had installed. Everyone was a little scared of what the consequences of this may be, but they all were willing to let him try. Sirius flicked the switch he thought would transport him where he wanted to go and said, "Hogsmeade!" They flew into darkness and after a few seconds came to a halt.  
  
They all looked around, and Sirius yelled, "Shit!" slamming his hand on the steering wheel. Harry again couldn't help but laugh.  
  
"Where are we?" Ginny asked timidly.  
  
"We're at home." Sirius growled. Ginny, Hermione and Ron couldn't help it either, they started roaring with laughter.  
  
"Well," Sirius said, almost amused himself. "I'm glad to see that you don't mind another nine hours of driving."  
  
They all immediately stopped laughing, and then Harry said, "Maybe you should try the controls again, Sirius."  
  
Sirius nodded and then flicked the switch next to the one he had hit the first time. He again yelled, "Hogsmead." Again they flew into darkness and then halted. This time they were where they had planned to be.  
  
"Yessah!" Sirius yelled and hit the steering wheel. "I have done it!"  
  
They all laughed at him. Sirius drove along the streets of Hogsmead until they reached Hogsmead Station, where carriages were lined up and waiting for the train to arrive.  
  
"We beat the train?!?!" Ron exclaimed.  
  
Sirius looked worried, "That can't be good. Whatever they thought would happen must have happened. I think we should wait here until it arrives." Curiosity was getting the best of Sirius. They all got out of the car and sat down on the platform of the small train station.  
  
"So Harry," Ron said, "How'd the rest of your summer go...I mean after...you know?"  
  
Harry shot him a sad smile, remembering the week from Hell they had both experienced, with Ron's mother dying and Remus going to Azkaban. "Pretty good, considering those circumstances. Played a lot of quidditch with Sirius, normal stuff...for once in my life."  
  
"Really, Harry Potter had a normal summer vacation?"  
  
"Do you recall the rest of that summer? It was anything but normal," Harry said sadly. "And, I guess the end wasn't either..." Harry took a big breath and said, "Two days ago I went to Azkaban."  
  
Hermione, Ron and Ginny all looked at him like he had three heads. They couldn't believe that what Harry was saying was true. You don't just go to Azkaban, especially not if your Harry Potter.  
  
"Really?" Ginny asked timidly. It was the most she had said all day.  
  
Harry nodded in her direction and then to everyone said, "I had to see Remus one more time before coming back here. I missed him so much...still do. It was awful there." Harry shivered at the memory and Sirius quickly rubbed his back. Everyone looked sad and depressed, so Sirius decided to try to get their minds on something else.  
  
"So...what are your plans for the year?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Make the Quidditch team," Ron said without a second thought.  
  
"Get the top grades in the year, yet again," Hermione replied.  
  
"Not be so shy," Ginny murmured. They all smiled kindly at her, even Ron, and she smiled back.  
  
"Stay alive," Harry finally said dryly.  
  
"So much for that," Sirius thought to himself. He had never seen Harry in such a depression as this, that had come so quickly and so strongly. The whole day he had seemed fine, a little sad before leaving but other than that he was normal Harry. Sirius didn't know what had come over him. Maybe once they had reached Hogsmead the reality hit him that he'd be back at school, fending for himself.  
  
"Ron, Hermione, Ginny, here's some money, why don't you go get something from Honeydukes, bring something back for Harry and me," Sirius said to them sternly. They took the money from his hand and headed off in the direction of their favorite story.  
  
Harry looked down at the ground and Sirius wrapped his arm over his shoulders. "What's wrong Harry?"  
  
"Nothing's wrong...I don't know why you just sent my friends off...I'm fine," Harry was trying to sound angry, but there was too much sadness in his voice.  
  
"Harry, don't lie to me, I know something's wrong, you never act like this, so bitter. What was that comment all about, I'm going to stay alive?"  
  
"You asked what our plans were for the year...that's it."  
  
Sirius sighed heavily and rested his forehead in the palm of his hand. He racked his mind to think of something to say but couldn't think of anything good, thus he started to argue. "Harry, you're goal can't be to stay alive...well it can, but that should go without saying. Why do you think that your only goal should be staying alive?"  
  
Harry looked up at his godfather with angry eyes, "Because that's the hardest thing to do."  
  
Sirius's face fell into shock as Harry glared angrily at the ground. "God...Harry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry all this shit happens to you and only you. It's not fair and that's all there is to it. Your goal shouldn't be to keep alive, it should be something like your friends."  
  
"But its not...my friends don't have the same kind of life I do."  
  
"I know, and it sucks. I'm so sorry I can't make this better. I should be able to, I'm your godfather but there's nothing I can do to help...I should be able to help."  
  
"No one can help, Sirius, don't worry about it. Maybe when Voldemort decides he wants to be my best friend I'll be able to have hopes like Ron, Hermione, and Ginny...but until that happens I'm just going to focus on staying alive....and having as much fun as possible while I'm at it."  
  
Sirius shook his head, speechless. They sat in silence for a few moments, each thinking fervently all the time, until they were interrupted by a booming voice.  
  
"'Arry! Is that you?" (sorry his accent sucks!)  
  
Harry looked up and a huge grin broke over his otherwise angry/sad face. He jumped to his feet and ran towards one of the first friends he ever had in his life, Hagrid. When he reached him Hagrid bent slightly and wrapped Harry in a bone-crushing hug, causing Harry to grimace through his smile. He was relieved when Hagrid released him from the hug, but he recovered quickly and grinned up at his old friend.  
  
"'Arry, what are you doin' here now, 'fore the train even arrives?"  
  
"There were problems earlier so the train was delayed. The conductor said there was something wrong and that it may happen again. Sirius didn't want me going on it, so he brought me."  
  
"Sirius Black, eh?"  
  
Harry nodded and looked back at Sirius who was watching the scene curiously, almost jealously.  
  
"Hard fer me to believe that he's not what they said he was. But I trust Dumbledore, and you too 'Arry, I think you're right 'bout him. Looks tah me like he showed good judgment by bringin' you here t'day. I mustn't be rude," Hagrid than walked over to where Sirius was still sitting on the platform. Sirius stood up upon being approached and shook Hagrid's huge hand.  
  
"Hi Hagrid...er...long time no see, how've you been?"  
  
Hagrid looked dumbfounded to see Sirius Black behaving so normally. He had spent many years despising that name for what he had done, or supposedly done to the Potter's. Hagrid had once liked Sirius as much as he liked Harry. Back in the days of the marauders it was Sirius who led the pack down to his hut. Hagrid now couldn't believe all the bad things he had said about Sirius over the years, and in typical Hagrid fashion, huge tears began streaming down his face.  
  
Sirius and Harry looked at each other shocked. Hagrid moaned, "I'm so sorry Sirius...I b'lieved what they said...an' I hated you for it. I should a knew! I should a knew you would never do a thing like that to the Potters...yer best friends! I'm so sorry!"  
  
Sirius tried to pat his back but really got mostly his side, "It's okay Hagrid, really. No one believed that I was innocent. Remus didn't believe it, Harry didn't believe it. The proof was against me, I was framed. If I wasn't me I would have believed it."  
  
Hagrid looked down at Sirius, "So...you don' hate me?"  
  
"No, Hagrid, I could never hate you. Think nothing of it."  
  
Hagrid nodded and dried his big eyes. "So how'd yer summer go Harry?"  
  
Harry gave Hagrid a strange look. He figured everyone knew what had happened to him over the summer, but apparently he had been left out when it came to that news.  
  
"It wasn't too good, Hagrid. Until the end that is," Harry said, smiling at Sirius, who punched him softly on the shoulder.  
  
"Wha' happened?"  
  
Harry began to tell Hagrid all about his summer at the Dursley's, and for the first time didn't shed a single tear when he told the story. His voice didn't even waver. He told all about the awful paralysis, his embarrassing fight with Remus, Ron's mother's funeral, and Remus's trial. Before he could get too much sympathy, which was the last thing he wanted, he moved on to the great things that had happened over the summer. Somehow, overall the positives outweighed the negatives in Harry's mind. He couldn't quite figure out how, but it seemed like everything negative led to something positive that summer. With the exception of Remus going to jail, there was nothing good about that at all.  
  
They then moved on to what was going on with the train. Apparently Hagrid had not been informed of any mishaps with the train. He had been down by the lake getting the boats ready for the first years, but was surprised when after all the time that had passed, the train was nowhere in sight. Thus, he journeyed to the platform to see if he could solve the mystery, which he couldn't.  
  
"Does Dumbledore know about this?" Sirius asked. Hagrid shrugged his shoulders.  
  
"Someone should tell him," Sirius decided. "Maybe he does know and he'll have some explanations, and if he doesn't know...well, he should. Harry I want you to go..."  
  
Sirius was interrupted by a shrill scream and he turned to see Hermione and Ron running towards them, like they were running for their lives. Hermione reached them first, it was clear she was the one who was the most scared, and that she was the one who screamed. She almost ran smack into Sirius, and he had to grab her shoulders to steady her. Ron was soon at her side, huffing and puffing with all his might.  
  
"What happened?" Sirius asked sternly, his face intent on getting to the root of the problem.  
  
Hermione looked like she was going to speak, but she was breathing too heavily to. Ron tried as well, and was at least able to give Sirius the gist of what happened.  
  
"Hermione and I...were looking out the window of...Honeydukes...the one that looks out to the forest...and we-we saw...a deatheater- kill...someone."  
  
Finally, Hermione recovered herself and said, "I screamed when I saw it and the deatheater...he...he turned and looked at us. I don't know if he actually saw us though, we ran away as fast as we could."  
  
"Oh my God...did you see who it was?"  
  
"Well the deatheater was covered head to toe in black, and I had never seen the guy who was killed before...he looked like he had done nothing wrong," Hermione said and then looked around and almost screamed again.  
  
"What is it Hermione?"  
  
"Where's Ginny?!?!" she shrieked. Ron stared at her for a second and then looked like he was about to faint.  
  
Sirius straightened up and searched the street for her red hair, he saw no sign of her and said, "You three, get in a carriage and go straight to Hogwarts, find Dumbledore immediately, and send him down here. Hagrid, you stay here in case she comes back here. I'm going to go search for her."  
  
"Sirius..." Harry began to protest.  
  
"Harry, I'm going to look for her, I'll be fine I've had plenty of training for this kind of thing. You need to get to safety, go now."  
  
Harry looked positively miserable and worried as he went towards a carriage. They got in and Sirius watched as the carriage slowly made its way up a windy road. He then set off at a jog, wand ready towards Honeydukes. He went inside and saw no signs of anyone in the store, not even the store owners. Sirius found this to be a very bad sign. The deatheater must have already gotten in here. He probably thought Ginny was the only one to see him and got her before he was further exposed.  
  
Sirius hurriedly left the store and set off at a run towards the edge of the small town. He walked cautiously around the border of the town, with an attentive ear. After walking for a few minutes he heard a rustling in the grass and followed his ear to the spot. He hid behind a tree and found Ginny Weasley writhing in pain in the grass as a deatheater stood over her pointing his wand directly at her. He was giving her the Cruciatus. The deatheater must have put a silencing on her and himself, as it appeared she was screaming at the top of her lungs, while he was laughing hysterically.  
  
Sirius wasn't exactly sure how to deal with the situation, but he knew if he didn't act quickly Ginny would die from the pain. He pointed his wand carefully at the deatheater and stunned him. Sirius was not about to kill him, after what he had already been through. Ginny stopped moving when the deatheater was stunned, but she made no effort to get up.  
  
He was worried about this, but knew he couldn't help her until the deatheater had been dealt with. Sirius stepped up and pocketed the deatheater's wand and then sent his limp body flying at a tree. Quickly, Sirius bound the deatheater to the tree and then ran to Ginny's side. She was unconscious, but he could feel a pulse. He scooped her into his arms and carried her back towards the platform.  
  
The same moment he arrived, Dumbledore did as well, though Harry, Ron and Hermione were nowhere in sight. Sirius was happy to see this.  
  
"Dear God," Dumbledore said, "What has happened Sirius?"  
  
"I trust Harry and the others already told you what they saw while they were at Honeydukes?"  
  
Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"Well, the deatheater got hold of Ginny here. He put her under the Cruciatus. I think I got there just in time. She'll be alright...I hope."  
  
"And where's the deatheater now?"  
  
"I took his wand and bound him to a tree. I cared more about Ginny's safety than making sure he didn't get away, but I think he'll still be there...I did stun him."  
  
"Very good Sirius, will you take me to him?"  
  
"What about Ginny?"  
  
Dumbledore turned to Hagrid, "Will you please take Miss Weasley to the castle and immediately to the hospital wing please, Hagrid?"  
  
"Yes, sir...but what about the firs' years?"  
  
"I have been in contact with the conductor, he tells me they have indeed been greatly delayed. I trust you'll have plenty of time to get there and come back down."  
  
Hagrid gently took Ginny from Sirius's protective hold and began his journey to the castle.  
  
Sirius then led the way to where he had left the deatheater. Dumbledore stepped up to the stunned man and removed his mask, "Macnair...that's not good, the ministry trusts him. Give me his wand Sirius."  
  
Sirius obeyed. Dumbledore carefully wiped the wand on his robes to remove Sirius's fingerprints. I do not want the ministry to know that you were in anyway involved with this, Sirius. Hurry and go to the castle and give Mr. Potter his last goodbye. Then get yourself home as soon as you can. I'll deal with this."  
  
Sirius nodded and rushed back to his car. He drove it right up to the front staircase of the castle. He got up and rushed inside. He went straight into the great hall, hoping that that was where Harry and the others were. He was right.  
  
Harry looked incredibly relieved when he saw Sirius. Ron, not so much.  
  
"Where's Ginny?" he asked quickly before anything else could be said.  
  
Sirius turned to him with a kind expression. "She's going to be okay, Ron. She's up in the hospital wing. The deatheater, as I feared got a hold of her. He tortured her a bit, but she'll be fine, I assure you."  
  
Ron looked thoroughly worried so Sirius added, "Why don't you go up to the hospital wing and see for yourself?"  
  
"I think I will," he said and made to leave the room. He then turned back to Sirius and said, "Thanks Sirius, for bringing us here...and saving my sister."  
  
Sirius smiled at him and patted his shoulder, "Anytime Ron, anytime."  
  
Ron then sped out of the room.  
  
"I have to be going Harry," Sirius said gently. "I wanted to stick around and make sure that everything was okay here, but Dumbledore thinks that if I'm here when the ministry officials arrive, I'll be to blame."  
  
Harry nodded quickly, "Then you better leave, Sirius nothing like that can happen! Don't let it happen!"  
  
Sirius was surprised by that reaction. He himself wasn't all that worried about it, but Harry looked like he thought it was the end of the world that there was even a threat against Sirius's well-being.  
  
"I'm going Harry, calm down...Promise me you're not going to get into trouble this year."  
  
"I promise," Harry said quickly.  
  
"I mean it...house points taken away by anyone but Snape will not be tolerated, got it. If you want to do a little prank, that's fine, just don't get caught."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes but smiled anyway.  
  
"I'm going to miss you Bud," Sirius said.  
  
"I'm going to miss you too...but it won't be that long. And maybe you can come up to Hogsmead during one of our weekends and we'll have lunch or something."  
  
Sirius's face darkened. "Harry, I don't want you anywhere near Hogsmead this year. I'm guessing that after today Dumbledore won't allow them anyway, but if he does I want you to promise me you won't go. I'm telling him about the secret passage too. I've always been pretty sure he doesn't know about it, but for your safety and for the safety of the rest of the school I want it sealed up."  
  
Harry didn't look happy about it but he nodded anyway.  
  
"Be careful Harry, I love you." Sirius said pulling his godson into a hug.  
  
"Love you too, Sirius. Now hurry up and get out of here before the officials come."  
  
Sirius nodded his head and squeezed Harry tight once more and kissed him gently on the top of his head before heading straight out the doors. Harry looked at Hermione slightly embarrassed, but she just grinned at him. He smiled back and they began talking about senseless matters. Slowly other kids whose parents brought them trickled in. Colin Creevy in particular.  
  
"Hiya Harry," he said cheerfully, his eye covered in a livid bruise. Harry hadn't even noticed it when he saw it earlier that day.  
  
"Hi Colin," he said annoyed.  
  
"I heard something happened today in Hogsmead, Harry, did you hear? What happened? Do you know? And where's the train, huh? I thought it would be hear by now."  
  
"I don't know Colin," Harry replied tensely, resisting the urge to sock him again. But he remembered Sirius's words and thought better of it, rather he apologized. "I'm sorry about punching you Colin, I was having a bad day."  
  
"Are you kidding? Harry Potter gave me a shiner. I took a picture of it! I was actually wondering if you would sign it for me."  
  
Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had proposed the exact situation to Sirius, only he had been joking. "I don't think so, Colin," he said sharply. Colin just shrugged and went off to sit with his brother who marveled at Harry from afar. Harry started to say something to Hermione when Dumbledore stood at the teachers table.  
  
"Students! I'm sure you are all wondering where the rest of your classmates are, and perhaps have even heard of the incident today in Hogsmead. I'll tell you this, everyone is safe, and you have nothing to worry about. Shortly myself and a few other teachers will be apparating to the Hogwarts Express where we'll be taking the students here by Portkey. I want you to all be on your best behavior while I am gone. Now, I'd like to see Mr. Harry Potter and Miss Hermione Granger before I go."  
  
Harry and Hermione made there way to the front of the dining hall under the watchful eyes of all the other students who had arrived. Harry shot a quick glance at the Slytherin table and saw Draco Malfoy, flanked on either side by Crabbe and Goyle, smiling smugly. It was clear that he knew exactly what had happened and that he had no intention of telling anyone.  
  
Ignoring this, Harry and Hermione stepped in front of Dumbledore who said, "Follow me please." They walked up to the hospital wing where they saw Ginny, unconscious in a hospital bed. Ron looked very upset, he didn't even notice they entered.  
  
"He's not dealing with this well at all. I want you both to take care of him and make sure he does nothing rash. Miss Weasley will be fine, she's on the road to recovery and will have no lasting physical injuries."  
  
Hermione and Harry both nodded their heads seriously.  
  
"Er, professor?" Hermione began. "Who was that man who was...er...killed?"  
  
Dumbledore's face darkened. "I shall tell you that when I inform the rest of the school. I must be off now, remember what I've said. Miss Granger, you've witnessed a terrible tragedy, I'm sorry for that, but I shall do my best to see to it that no student ever again has to see what you've just seen."  
  
Hermione nodded darkly and Dumbledore left the room. Harry and Hermione approached Ron who had tears in his eyes. "I just-just left her there. I didn't even notice that she wasn't behind us. This is all my fault."  
  
"Ron, you know that's not true. What would have happened if we had seen her get taken? He probably would have gotten us too. Then you and I would be in here right now too. Professor Dumbledore told us she'd be fine."  
  
Ron shook his head and rubbed his sisters hand. "If I was there he wouldn't have put her in so much pain, he would have spread it around a bit. Ginny's the last girl in my family, and I almost let them take her too."  
  
Harry sat next to his friend. "Ron, there's nothing you could have done. Sirius and Remus have told me a lot about the past, when Voldemort was in power the first time. They told me that constantly their families and friends fell victims to Voldemort, and that everyone was always blaming themselves. But it wasn't there fault, it was his, Voldemort's. He's the reason Ginny was taken away today, but she's fine now. You can't blame yourself Ron, got it?"  
  
Ron shook his head, "We just left her behind..." Ron, without caring that Hermione or Harry was there, started crying into his arms.  
  
Harry took Hermione aside and whispered, "I don't think this is just about today, he's probably still not over his mum's murder. Why don't you go downstairs, I know he's going to regret that you've seen this." Hermione nodded and left the room, with one sad look at Ron.  
  
Harry again sat by Ron and put his arm over his shoulder. "You okay mate?" Harry knew that that was a dumb question, but thought it would be a good starting point.  
  
Ron shook his head fiercely. "My families fa-falling apart, and it's all my fault. Ginny almost died today Harry, she just barely held on. And it was all my fault...just like my mum. Why can't I do anything right."  
  
"Listen to me Ron, it's not your fault. I just told you its Voldemort's fault. You guys were in the wrong place at the wrong time, that's all. And the deatheater probably tried to make sure you didn't realize Ginny was gone, you know? He did his job the best he could, for Voldemort, and you know what, he didn't win. Because YOU realized Ginny wasn't around when you got back to me and Sirius."  
  
Ron shook his head, "No, I didn't notice...Hermione did..." Ron started crying harder. "I can't even protect my own family...what the bloody Hell am I good for?!" He shouted.  
  
"Nice going, Harry," Harry thought to himself. Although, what he had said had helped slightly.  
  
After Ron's very loud outburst, Ginny began to wake up. She looked lost and scared until she laid eyes on her sobbing brother.  
  
"What's wrong Ron?"  
  
"What's wrong? What's WRONG? I almost let you DIE! That's what's wrong."  
  
The days events quickly flooded back into Ginny's mind. "Ron, none of what happened was your fault. When we were running...I-I tripped and fell and the deatheater put a silencing spell on me and then took me away. I know you didn't see it happen, it's okay. I'm fine now....but, what happened."  
  
Ron couldn't stop crying, so Harry explained it to her, which alone made her blush furiously. "When Ron and Hermione reached Sirius and I they realized you weren't there. Sirius sent us up here to get Dumbledore and he went to find you. He found you...er...under the Cruciatus and stunned the deatheater and tied him to a tree. Dumbledore took care of the rest and Hagrid brought you here. That's all."  
  
Ginny appeared to have tears in her eyes as well as she apparently relived the ordeal in her head. Ron had his head buried in his arms on the edge of the bed and Ginny put her hand on his shoulder. He looked up and she wrapped him in a hug and held him as he cried.  
  
"I'm so sorry Ginny! It's all my fault!"  
  
"It's not your fault Ron! You didn't expect that the deatheater would capture me...why would you? I'm fine now, stop dwelling on it please!"  
  
Harry himself was in shock to hear Ginny talking so much, but Ron didn't seem phased by it. It must just be him that she's usually so quiet around. Ron cried his eyes out for a while longer until they just ran dry. He still looked greatly upset, but the tears stopped flying.  
  
"Ron, why don't you go get cleaned up and then we'll let Ginny get some rest. I know your hungry."  
  
He tried to deny it, but his stomach as always gave him away with its loud growling.  
  
"Fine, Harry, I'll be back up Ginny," he said and then walked towards the bathroom.  
  
Ron left leaving Ginny and Harry alone. Ginny didn't look happy about that at all. She looked down at her toes and didn't say a word.  
  
"Er...so..." Harry started, but didn't know what else to say.  
  
Ginny looked at him shyly and said, "So I bet you all wish I just took the train, huh?"  
  
"Not at all," Harry said earnestly. "I don't know what's going on with the train, but I think Sirius was right, we were a lot safer with him. Otherwise I don't think all the teachers would be going who knows where to save all the rest of the students. I'm glad you decided to come with us."  
  
Ginny blushed five shades of red, but Harry was oblivious to the reason why. Luckily, no more small talk was necessary as Ron came out of the bathroom, all signs of his tears gone. He hugged Ginny tightly and once more apologized, she just sighed in response to the apology.  
  
Harry and Ron then left the hospital wing and headed back down to the great hall. On the way Harry turned to his friend and asked, "You okay?"  
  
"I don't know Harry...a year ago what happened today wouldn't have bothered me...but now...with all this stuff that's been happening...I'm really scared you know?"  
  
"Yeah, I know, but I think we'll be alright this year. Maybe it'll be the first normal year we've had."  
  
Ron gave Harry a skeptical look and they walked on in silence. When they reached the entry way kids were streaming in, they all looked very scared and were barely talking. Harry and Ron followed them into the Great Hall and they resumed their seats next to Hermione, where they waited patiently for the rest of the students to take their own seats.  
  
When everyone was finally seated, Dumbledore stood at the head of the room with a very grim expression upon his face, making him look years older. He tapped his fork on his glass as if to get the students attention, though he already had everyone's.  
  
"Welcome back," he said in a booming voice. "As you've already seen, I'm sure, this is not going to be a normal school year. It is time for me to tell you all what has happened today. I believe that this information will scare many of you, but for your safety you must all know the truth. I will tell you all this once and only once, so please listen attentively and do not talk until I finish."  
  
Harry, Hermione and Ron looked at each other and knew instantly that what Harry had hoped for earlier, about it being a normal school year, wasn't going to happen.  
  
  
  
A/N: So how did you all like that? Personally I hated almost the entire chapter, but it was a transition chapter which is just not fun. I think part of the next chapter will suck as well, but I think I'll do a much better job with it than this one. I hope your opinions of this chapter are different than mine, but I will completely understand if they're not. 


	22. Chapter 22

Finished another chapter, hope you enjoy it. The middle of it really sucks, I had an awful time writing it as you all know by know I'm sure. I'd again like to apologize for putting you all through that. I should have made sure I knew for sure what I wanted to do before telling you all that stuff. Sorry. For those of you who didn't catch my "Changed my mind" author note, I'm leaving it up until next chapter. Read it if you haven't so you can understand exactly what I'm thinking. Thank you to all who reviewed. There are way too many different reviews for me to do review reviews again, so there will be none this week, but the next chapter should have them. So please review!!!!  
  
BTW, many of you told me to end the story crappy if I don't finish it, well...that's not going to happen. I'm either going to finish it with the absolute best ending I can, or I'm not ending it at all. As of now I'm going with the former, that's the first for those of you who don't know. Anyway...ENJOY : )  
Dumbledore stood in front of the great hall, every student present was enraptured with his speech. Harry and his friends in particular.  
  
"Very serious things have happened today, and I do not intend to keep a single word of it from you all. First, I shall explain what happened with the train today, as those of you who were there don't even know the full extent of what happened."  
  
All the students who had ridden the train swallowed hard and looked fearfully at the headmaster as he continued.  
  
"You should all know first and foremost that Voldemort has risen again. I know some of you and your parents refuse to believe this point, but I assure you it is the truth. And he is the person responsible for the ordeal you have all been through today. Lord Voldemort sent deatheaters who have returned to his side, to attack the train. However, what he didn't know that the train had special wards on it that protected each and every one of you. You were never in immediate danger, I assure you. However, when the deatheater's approached the train had to stop, its part of the protection ward. It's easier for the deatheaters to break into the train while its in movement."  
  
The whole room looked terrified. Some of the younger kids had tears of pure terror in their eyes.  
  
Dumbledore continued, "The professors and I stunned all of the deatheaters who were encircling the train and from there took you all via portkey, as I'm sure you all remember. Now, many of you don't know that something else has happened today, right here in Hogsmead. There was a deatheater attack here as well."  
  
Gasps were heard throughout the room, but Hermione shushed them loudly and turned her attention back to Dumbledore.  
  
"I'm sure you've all been wondering who you're new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher will be. Well, I don't know myself at this point. The man I had hired, Mr. Nelson Pringle was murdered today behind Honeydukes, as were the owners of Honeydukes." Here Dumbledore paused, waiting for the reaction.  
  
Some students began to cry, many had been on a personal relationship with the owners of Honeydukes. Harry, Hermione and Ron all looked shocked. They had seen their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher's murder, but they had no idea that there had been more than one. Dumbledore waited patiently for the students to calm down so he could continue.  
  
"I hope this is a wake up call to all of you that the Dark Lord has risen and that you will follow my rules. I can assure the safety of all of you, but only if you follow directions. This year, all Hogsmead weekends are called off, it will not be safe to have students wondering around the streets where such a tragedy has already happened. If for some reason you feel it necessary to make a trip down there, ask a teacher and you shall be escorted there. Some of you, over the years, have found secret passages out of this school, those passages have all been sealed off, so don't even bother trying to utilize them," he said this looking pointedly at Fred and George Weasley, though that wasn't necessary. Harry noticed that they looked more serious at that moment than they had ever looked since Harry had known them. Dumbledore continued his speech as he saw this as well. "School will otherwise go on as it regularly would. Are there any questions?"  
  
A girl from the Hufflepuff table stood and raised her hand. "Yes Miss Cohen?"  
  
"I was wondering...are you...are you sure Lord...He-who-must-not-be-named can't-can't attack here?"  
  
Dumbledore smiled kindly at the girl and replied, "The wards here are quite strong, Miss Cohen, I assure you. Though, it is possible for Voldemort to come here, it is extremely unlikely. Trying would take all the energy he has out of him, and he wouldn't be able to cause much harm in such a state. I wouldn't worry about an attack here, and would like to add that fear of a name only increases fear of a person."  
  
Harry smiled slightly remembering when Dumbledore had said the exact same words to him. Hermione then stood, raising her own hand.  
  
"Yes, Miss Granger."  
  
"Since our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher...er...passed away, who will be teaching us?"  
  
"An excellent question, and one that I, myself am unsure of the answer to. Until I find a suitable replacement, you will all have a free period during the time you would usually have Defense Against the Dark Arts. However, considering the times I will still be sure that your other teachers will incorporate some defense lessons into there own."  
  
Hermione nodded and sat back down. She looked at Harry, who shrugged in return. Ron was zoning out. Other kids asked questions, but none of them were really relevant to the trio, they knew more about what was going on than some of the teachers. They sat tiredly through the sorting hats song and the sorting ceremony and then hurriedly ate there late dinner. It was nearly 9:30 when they began the meal. Afterwards the school began to exit the room and head up to the dorms. Hermione and Harry followed, but Ron took off in the direction of the hospital wing instead.  
  
When they reached the common room, Harry turned to Hermione and said, "What a day huh?"  
  
"Tell me about it. I can't believe all this is happening."  
  
"No Hogsmead weekends...that's not good. And all secret passages sealed up..." Harry sadly shook his head.  
  
Hermione looked indignant, "Is that all you're worried about Harry? Someone died today, Ginny could have too. And all you're worried about is not being able to go to Hogsmead?"  
  
Harry looked at her sharply, "No, that's not it...it's just really nothing new to me Hermione. You've seen how my summer has been, this just goes right along with it...only this time it's taking some more away. I know what we're in for."  
  
Hermione looked apologetic for her little outburst but didn't mention it, instead she changed the subject. "I wonder who the new professor will be."  
  
"I don't know...I just hope he doesn't want to kill me, Remus was the only one who cared, I just hope he can be as good as Remus before I knew he was a friend of my parents, just a nice guy teacher."  
  
"Me too, and I hope he gives us lots of homework so we'll be plenty prepared for the OWL's."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes and smirked, "I'm going to bed, see you in the morning."  
  
"Good night," Hermione called as Harry headed for the boys staircase.  
  
When Harry arrived in his room he found Neville, Dean and Seamus sitting around discussing there peaceful summers. They asked if he wanted to join the conversation, but he told them he was too tired. Rather, he shut the curtains around his bed and wrote a note to Sirius.  
Sirius,  
  
I know it's a bit soon to be writing, but I thought I should tell you everything I've learned so far about what happened today, in case Dumbledore didn't tell you everything. The train was delayed because deatheaters were trying to attack it. Thanks for making me go with you, I did not need to deal with that. Also, the guy who was murdered was our new defense against the darks arts teacher, something Pringle, did you know him? Dumbledore doesn't have any replacements yet, I wonder who it's going to be. Also, Dumbledore told us that the people who owned Honeydukes were also murdered. I can't believe all this is happening. You'll be happy to know that Dumbledore has cancelled all Hogsmead weekends and sealed the secret passages, like you said he would. I'm not exactly happy about this, but I understand. It's for the best, right? Anyway, I miss you already, it's only been like five hours, but, what can I say. Hogwarts just isn't the same now that I have a place I'd rather be. Please write back with anymore information you might have received, and take care of yourself.  
  
Love, Harry  
Harry then grabbed his invisibility cloak and swept up to the owlery. He quickly found Hedwig and sent her to Sirius. On his way back he heard footsteps and tucked himself behind a wall. He waited until the person passed him, afraid it may be a teacher. He sighed in relief when he saw it was Ron. Harry took the invisibility cloak off his head and Ron nearly jumped out of his shoes.  
  
"Bloody Hell Harry! What in Merlin's name did you think you were doing?"  
  
"Sorry Ron...I just sent a letter to Sirius, and then saw you. Thought I'd walk to the dorms with you. Are you okay?"  
  
Ron shrugged, "Better than earlier...I just feel so responsible...for all this stuff."  
  
"I know the feeling," Harry said dryly. "Hurry up and get under here so we can get back without getting into trouble."  
  
Ron nodded and slipped under the cloak. Even though it was just the two of them it was hard to keep the cloak around them. Both of the boys had grown a lot over the summer break. They quietly swept to their dorm and each went to their own beds. All the other boys were fast asleep, and soon Ron and Harry were as well.  
  
The next day the boys were up and ready for a full day of classes. They met Hermione in the common room and then went to breakfast all together. When they arrived in the Great Hall, they found Ginny, sitting and talking animatedly with several girls from her own year. Ron smiled earnestly at the sight of his sister acting perfectly normal despite her ordeal. The three went and sat a few seats down from her.  
  
When the mail came Harry watched earnestly for Hedwig, but didn't see her. He knew it was stupid to think that Sirius would have replied already, but he had thought it possible.  
  
"You expecting a letter?" Hermione asked Harry.  
  
"Sort of..." Harry said, his face falling slightly, though Ron and Hermione across from him were grinning widely. "What?"  
  
Harry nearly jumped out of his seat when a voice close behind him said, "God, Harry, I didn't expect you to miss me that much."  
  
Harry whirled around to see Sirius dressed in wizard robes standing behind him grinning like mad.  
  
"Sirius! What-what are you doing here? I expected a letter....not you!"  
  
"I got your letter...but I got one from Dumbledore first...he told me pretty much the same as you...but I liked yours better," Sirius said this jokingly, and successfully managed to make Harry blush.  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well...it seems that this school is currently lacking a defense against the dark arts teacher."  
  
"Yeah," Harry said quickly, but trying not to get his hopes up.  
  
"Well...Dumbledore thought maybe...I'd like to take the position."  
  
Harry started smiling like crazy and bit his lip waiting for Sirius to continue.  
  
"It all comes down to you really, Harry. Would you mind having me for a teacher?"  
  
"Are you kidding?! That would be awesome Sirius! Take the job, take it!"  
  
Sirius laughed at his exuberance. "Okay, you're going to have to call me Mr. Black though."  
  
"Sirius, I think I can handle that. As long as you don't make me over the holidays."  
  
Sirius smiled at his godson and said, "I guess I better go talk to Dumbledore then."  
  
Harry grinned and watched Sirius walk away. "Can you believe this?" He asked the others. They both shook their heads shocked. They all knew it was going to be a very different year. Happily, the three went back to their meals and received their schedules.  
  
"We have Defense Against the Dark Arts today!" Hermione said excitedly.  
  
"Do you think Sirius will be ready today?" Ron asked.  
  
"I don't know, but I think it will be fun anyway."  
  
The others just shrugged and looked up as Dumbledore again stood at the head table.  
  
"Attention please! As you all know I've been looking for a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Well, I have found someone willing to fill the position. I'm sure you all won't like the idea to begin with, but I trust in time you will all come to love your new professor. So, without further ado I would like to introduce Professor Sirius Black!"  
  
Sirius stepped out and Harry, Ron and Hermione clapped like mad but soon realized no one else was clapping. The entire body was gaping at Dumbledore and Sirius, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Sirius looked very uncomfortable, though Dumbledore seemed to expect the reaction. At the head table, all the teachers looked nervous as well, and Snape, well Snape just look ripped.  
  
"Some of you may not know, but this summer Mr. Black had a trial. He never committed the heinous crimes he was accused of. He is a very kind, gentle man, none of you have anything to worry about. Sirius has had a rough life because of the false accusations, so both he and I would appreciate it if you would ignore all past references to the name Sirius Black, and see him only as your teacher. Now, please stop gaping at Sirius like he's a dementor and give him a round of applause for filling this position on such a short notice."  
  
Most of the students clapped, but various students at the Slytherin table didn't raise a finger. Sirius smiled at the crowd and seemed to loosen up a bit.  
  
"This, of course means that you will be attending Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, so you can forget my previous comment about that. I'm sure you won't be having a real lesson today, but you will report to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom anyhow. Classes will be starting soon, so I suggest you all get on your way. I wish you all luck on this, your first day of classes this term!"  
  
Dumbledore then left the room, Sirius following close behind. Breakfast was over by that time, and there was a mad rush to get out of the great hall and to there first classes that term.  
  
Gryffindor fifth years had transfiguration first, which went pretty much the way they had expected it to. Professor McGonagall hadn't changed a bit. She was just as stern as ever, if not more so. She gave them lots of homework and sent them along to there next class, Care of Magical Creatures.  
  
Harry was excited for this one. He figured the class would be pretty much the same as it had been the previous two years, but he was excited nonetheless. The class was in fact much better than it had been the previously, they studied creatures similar to gnomes called flomes. These caught fire when they were threatened, so they were much harder to get rid of then normal garden gnomes. The ones Hagrid had, however, were old friends of his, so they were willing to cooperate and not burn anybody. A good thing too, because Care of Magical Creatures was once again held with the Slytherin's. Hagrid let them all go without any homework at all and they went to lunch.  
  
When they arrived in the great hall and had piled there plates with food, Harry looked up at the teachers table and saw Sirius talking animatedly with Professor McGonagall. Harry smiled to himself, remembering what she had once heard her say about Sirius and now seeing them talking like old friends. Sirius noticed Harry looking at him and waved down, smiling broadly. Harry waved back and turned back to his own lunch. For a while they sat discussing the upcoming OWL's thanks to Hermione, but Ron eventually got the conversation to more important matters, quidditch. This brought Fred and George over, as well as Alicia Spinnett.  
  
"Wood's long gone, we need a keeper and a captain," Alicia stated vigorously.  
  
"We haven't had a team since two years ago and we only need to fill one position? That's crazy," George replied. Alicia and Fred nodded.  
  
"I think we should wait until we have the whole team together before we make any decisions. I say we have a team meeting tonight at 8:00 in the common room. I'll tell the other girls," Alicia replied leaving the table.  
  
"Think she wants captain?" Fred asked.  
  
George and Harry both nodded. "Definitely."  
  
Fred gave George a secretive look, and said, "Maybe, but maybe not."  
  
George nodded and looked pointedly at Harry, who looked completely clueless as to why. Fred and George shrugged and walked away.  
  
Hermione looked up at the teachers table and saw that many were leaving, "I think lunch is over guys, we should get to Defense Against the Dark Arts."  
  
The others nodded and got up from the table and walked out of the great hall up to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Sirius and a few other students were already there when they arrived. It looked as though they were going to be sharing the time space with the Hufflepuff's this year. Harry wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.  
  
Sirius beamed at the three of them when they entered the classroom and watched them all sit down. Harry laughed at how nervous Sirius looked, he knew he'd do great. Sirius was so much of a kid himself, he'd have no problem relating to his students. Soon the rest of the class filed in and sat down and Sirius took his place in the front of the room.  
  
"Hi, I'm Professor Black, I'll be your teacher this year, and who knows, maybe next year as well. Since I was asked to take this job at such short notice, I'm highly unprepared for classes. So for today, I'm just going to let you all just ask questions. I'm sure all but a few of you are a bit curious about me, maybe even a little scared, and I want to make sure that by the end of the day everyone believes and understands that I have never killed anyone, nor do I intend to anytime soon. So...are there any questions?"  
  
Absolute silence for a while then Seamus Finnigan raised his hands. "If you didn't kill those muggles...who did?"  
  
Sirius sighed, "That is a long story Mr. Finnigan, but if you wish I will tell you. Back during Voldemort's first reign of terror I had four awesome friends, or so I thought. They were James and Lily Potter, better known to you as Harry's parents, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. Voldemort, as you all know was after the Potters. What many of you don't know is that the Potter's knew this." Sirius paused and glanced at Harry to make sure it was alright to tell them this. Harry nodded and gave him a small smile.  
  
Sirius continued, "So the Potter's went into hiding, and had to get a secret keeper. Do you all know what a secret keeper is."  
  
Everyone nodded, but no one said a word, they were enraptured by the speech.  
  
"Well, I was the most logical choice for the secret keeper, as I was the closest friend they had, but I figured Voldemort would know I'd be the secret keeper, so I told James and Lily that Peter should do it. They trusted my decision. Little did any of us know that little Peter had for a long time been working for Voldemort, within a day he had told Voldemort exactly where the Potter's, his friends, were hiding. The rest is history."  
  
The kids all sat staring open mouthed at the tale Sirius had told, but Seamus again raised his hand, "But what about the muggles?"  
  
"I'm getting there. After I found out what Peter had done, I was in a mad fury. I went directly after Peter, and found him in a crowded street. My goal then was to kill Peter, but I never got the chance. Peter Pettigrew fooled a lot of people, and killed thirteen muggles that day. You see, as I was about to send a spell at Peter, he cut his finger off, sent an explosion through the street and transformed into his animagus form, a rat."  
  
Again, the students stared wide-eyed at him. "Wow," a few students murmured.  
  
"So, Peter framed you? That's why you were sent to Azkaban?"  
  
Sirius nodded grimly. "Most of you don't know this, but the ministry doesn't have a very good criminal justice system. Though, I must admit Peter did a good job making it look like I was the murderer. There were many reports from muggles that I was in fact the murderer of all those people. Pete was always quite the manipulator."  
  
"What was Azkaban like?"  
  
"Azkaban's the worst place you can imagine. It's worse than the stories you here. You really can't know the extent of it unless you go there, and I suggest none of you do. It haunts you."  
  
Sirius again looked at Harry and saw that he was looking a little upset.  
  
"Does anyone have any happier questions?"  
  
Not a single person raised their hands. Hermione noticed the grim look on Harry's face as well and decided to ask a question she pretty much already knew the answer to. "What was Hogwarts like when you were a kid?"  
  
Sirius grinned at Hermione thankfully and replied, "The years I had at Hogwarts were the best years of my life. I had some of the same teachers that you all have, namely Professor McGonagall, and let me tell you, she hasn't changed a bit. I thought she'd have lightened up in her old age, but no, she's the same teacher who gave me at least two detentions a week."  
  
The class all laughed at this, including Harry.  
  
"I don't know if you know this, but Professor Snape and I were in the same year at Hogwarts. I was a Gryffindor, and he was and still is a Slytherin. The four of us, we used to play pranks on Snape all the time, made him dance, sing, changed his hair color. We were the Weasley twins times ten, if you can imagine that. Those were the days," Sirius added sadly.  
  
"But, times almost up, is anyone still afraid of me?"  
  
Everyone shook their heads and some actually said no.  
  
Sirius beamed at the group and said, "Good, class dismissed."  
  
Sirius went back and sat at his desk. Harry gathered his books along with his friends and then told them to go on without him, that he'd be out in a few minutes. They left him and he approached Sirius's desk.  
  
"So, how'd I do?"  
  
"Awesome Sirius, I think you'll do a great job teaching."  
  
"It's actually pretty fun standing up there, having all of them looking at me, respecting me."  
  
Harry grinned at him, seeing how happy it made Sirius to be there.  
  
"Was it okay to tell what I did? Did I say too much?"  
  
"No, it was fine. They needed to know, now there won't be any false pretenses about you."  
  
"False pretenses, huh? Is this Harry in school mode? All intellectual?"  
  
"Shut up," Harry said smiling slightly embarrassed.  
  
"Ten house points for telling a professor to shut up."  
  
Harry was speechless.  
  
"Only joking. But you better move along to your next class or you're going to be late."  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"Is it okay if I tell the story some more?"  
  
Harry again nodded and then waved as he walked to the door of the classroom, Sirius waved back and then put his feet on the desk and looked around at the classroom that was now his. Sirius definitely liked being Professor Black.  
  
The rest of both Harry and Sirius's days had gone by very quickly. Harry had sat through a period of Divination where his death was predicted a record 7 times, but still it seemed to go by fast. Soon, they were again in the great hall, this time for dinner. Everyone was talking animatedly and Harry heard a few excited voices talking about Professor Black. A few girls were even talking about how good looking he was. Harry couldn't help but laugh at this, but then wondered if Hermione or Ginny felt the same way. They had all gotten to know Sirius on a much more personal basis.  
  
When dinner was almost over, Sirius approached Harry and the others. "Harry, I want to talk to you for a while after dinner, okay? Meet me in the entrance way."  
  
"Okay, Sirius."  
  
"Uh-"  
  
"Professor Black," Harry muttered.  
  
"That's better," Sirius joked and slapped Harry lightly on the back before heading out of the room. Harry finished eating quickly and then went to join Sirius.  
  
"Walk with me, Harry, and remember where we're going." Sirius said, as he began to climb the stairs and then head in a direction Harry had never been before.  
  
"How was your day Harry?"  
  
"Good, the best part was Defense Against the Dark Arts."  
  
Sirius grinned and threw his arm over Harry's shoulders.  
  
"How about everything else?"  
  
"Professor Trelawney predicted my death seven times today, that's a record for her. Her previous record was five in one day. My other classes went well, though McGonagall gave us tons of homework. It's the first day!"  
  
"Mr. Potter, it is necessary to get started on such things as soon as possible!" Harry swiveled around and saw Professor McGonagall walking close behind them, an indignant look upon her face.  
  
"Sorry Professor, I'm sure it was very necessary."  
  
"Yes, very necessary it was," she said sternly and then turned to Sirius, "And what Mr. Black are you doing with Mr. Potter down here?"  
  
"I'm showing him where my quarters are so he can come and get me if he needs me."  
  
"Are you sure that is wise?"  
  
"Very wise, yes," Sirius said firmly. McGonagall obviously didn't agree, but let is slide and went through a door on the right.  
  
"Hasn't changed a bit," Sirius mumbled and Harry grinned at him. "This way," Sirius said pointing towards a door on the left, a few down from McGonagall's. When they reached the door Sirius pushed it open and allowed Harry to enter first. Harry was immediately greeted with a friendly bark.  
  
"J!" he yelled happily and knelt down to rub the dogs head. J was the nickname the dog had been given over the month since Harry had gotten him. James was just not a dog name.  
  
"I thought you'd miss him."  
  
"Yeah, he was a good pillow."  
  
"Come sit down," Sirius said pointing into a small living room. The whole place was like a little apartment, complete with a small kitchen. Harry made himself comfortable on a couch and J jumped up and sat beside him, so that Harry could scratch his ears in just the right place. Sirius sat across from him and his face turned serious.  
  
"Harry, I don't think this year is going to go very well. I just have a bad feeling. Danger is going to be lurking in every corner. I want you to be really careful. If you ever get scared, or something just doesn't feel right, come straight here and tell me. I don't care what time it is. And if I'm a sleep, and you really need me, don't hesitate to use ice water, I'll survive it."  
  
Harry laughed lightly but saw how serious Sirius was (God I hate having to use the word serious in respect to Sirius). Harry changed his laugh to a nod.  
  
"Good," Sirius said.  
  
"So how was the rest of your day, Sirius?"  
  
"It was fun, I like being the teacher now, it's almost as fun as annoying the teachers, but not quite. I'm afraid my days doing that are over, however."  
  
Harry smiled. "Did you teach any of the Slytherin's today?"  
  
Sirius rolled his eyes and nodded. "They didn't believe me! Dumb gits, a lot of them know a lot about Pettigrew, and they don't think that Voldemort would trust a 'git like that'."  
  
Harry shook his head with a small smile.  
  
"That Malfoy kid's awful though. From what I've seen, he's your Snape."  
  
Harry nodded. "Yes, I've been blessed with him and the real thing. Why though, did he say anything about me?"  
  
Sirius hesitated, then nodded.  
  
"What did he say?"  
  
"He just asked how, 'That pansy Potter managed to survive the killing curse.'"  
  
Harry looked annoyed but shrugged it off. He had hoped that Malfoy only did that kind of thing to his face, not when he wasn't even around.  
  
"I immediately corrected him on the pansy thing and told him what happened. The truth really shut him up. I don't think his parents ever loved him at all. Consider yourself lucky Harry. Even though you don't remember, you were very loved."  
  
"I know," Harry said quietly.  
  
"So, has there been any talk of quidditch yet?" Sirius said changing the subject to raise Harry's mood.  
  
It worked, Harry immediately perked up and said, "Yeah, we're supposed to have a team meeting tonight at...oh my God what time is it?"  
  
"8:15."  
  
"Great, I'm late! There going to kill me, I have to go!"  
  
Sirius stood up and led Harry to the door. "Have fun Harry, I'll see you in the morning."  
  
"Night Sirius," Harry said, hugging him.  
  
"Night Harry."  
  
"Bye J," Harry said quickly rubbing the dogs head before rushing out the door.  
  
Sirius shut the door after watching Harry run down the corridor.  
  
"Harry's in for a big surprise," he said to the dog, who barked in response  
How was that? Once I got through to a certain point, it just started to flow again, I hope I can keep it up! Wish me luck and review! 


	23. Chapter 23

This chapter I finished in one 24 hour period, I think that's pretty good, don't you? Seeing as I just put up chapter 22 yesterday I don't have many reviews yet, but I have a few, thank you very much : ) This chapter kind of takes it back to the plot, thank God I managed to do it! I hated writing the last two chapters, but this one wasn't bad at all, it flowed right out of me! Enjoy!  
  
AprilSkrutin: Thank you! And you're welcome for not stopping, I feel so bad for doing that whole thing. I hope you will keep reading and reviewing!  
  
Kimmy: I didn't originally want to make Sirius the DADA teacher, its really generic I think, but I thought I did it in an okay way, making him not the first choice, just the back up. You're right about the Harry Potter world. I'm 17 and my sister's 12 and she picks on me because of all this HP stuff I do. The other day she tore a pic of Daniel Radcliff out of a magazine and handed it to me. I wanted to smack her. Anyway, good luck with your college stuff, its so stressful! I've been accepted to 5 schools so far and have 4 more to here from and then its crunch time!  
  
Jocelyn: Thanks for the review, I'm glad you like my little story!  
  
Electricity-of-the-phoenix: I'm continuing, as you can see. That was the hardest thing to get through. I didn't really have writers block, I was just sick of writing, but I'm fine again, it took less than a week. I feel really stupid! Thanks for the offer to help, I may take you up on it sometime, but as for now I know exactly what I want to do. That could change any minute, however.  
  
Lady Arwen of Rivendell: "Next Chappie" is here! LOL. I don't think the problem is with you, its with my indecisiveness. I have had so many reviews after that little change of my mind saying, "What am I going to do with you?" Makes me laugh. Sorry for the little scare there. And I know the story isn't really boring, to read, but some of it seriously is to write, and just so you know I first spelled that Siriusly. I did that in a school paper once, can you guess how embarrassing that was? Yeah, so anyway thank you for reviewing and I promise right now that I will finish the story, I promise : )  
  
The Serious Padfoot: I'm not giving up, I've changed my mind! Don't be sad!  
  
Chaser: Thanks for the review, I updated very soon, wouldn't you say?  
  
MysticWolf56: I'm glad that my finishing makes you so happy : ) Thanks for thinking it's great!!!  
  
Kacey Rat: Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Here's your more!  
  
Petrifia: I'm glad I'm on your favorites, I am continuing, so leave me there!  
  
Harry ran straight to the Gryffindor common room and was thoroughly out of breath by the time he got there. The whole team was sitting around a table as he ran up to them. They looked at him like he just lost the last quidditch game of the year.  
  
"Harry, where the Hell have you been?" Fred yelled. Both he and George looked pissed.  
  
"I-I was talking to Sirius, it was really important and I lost track of time. I'm so sorry, what did I miss."  
  
"Well Harry, since you didn't care to show up we went ahead and picked team captain with out you. I'm sure you would have liked to be a part of that decision. You can only blame yourself."  
  
"Who'd you pick?" Harry asked, not really caring who the captain was.  
  
"Do you really think you deserve to know?"  
  
"Yeah," Harry replied getting slightly annoyed. They had all missed team meetings before.  
  
"Well Harry, the new team captain is the new seeker."  
  
Harry was pissed. "What?!?! You gave my position away. Just because I was late for a meeting?! Do you realize I ran back here as fast as I could just so I could to make the meeting on time? I can't believe you're canning me for that! I'm the most devoted Quidditch player on this team and you know it!"  
  
"Yeah, Harry, we do," Katie said. "And that's why we picked you to be our captain."  
  
Harry was dumbfounded. "What?"  
  
Fred and George laughed at him and both put arms over his shoulders. "Harry, we have picked you to be captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Do you understand?"  
  
"No, I don't...you just-you just told me that there was a new seeker."  
  
"Yeah," Fred said. "We were trying to scare you, worked pretty good."  
  
Harry finally let it all sink in and a broad grin spread over his face. "Thanks guys."  
  
"No problem," they all said, patting Harry's back.  
  
"And it's our fault you missed the meeting by the way."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Well," said George. "We talked to Mr. Marauder. We knew he was going to want to talk to you, but we decided to talk him into distracting you long enough to make you late for the meeting, so we could do this to you. Man it was fun!"  
  
Harry shook his head in awe. "I'm going to have to yell at Sirius for that one."  
  
"You do that," said Fred laughing. "It'll make it even funnier."  
  
George then added wistfully. "I can't wait until we have Defense Against the Dark Arts class."  
  
Fred nodded in agreement.  
  
Harry looked around the room and saw Ron and Hermione working on homework together. He said, "If this meeting's over I'm going to go get started on homework."  
  
The others waved and he walked over to Ron and Hermione's table.  
  
"Congratulations Harry, the team told us their plan."  
  
"And you didn't tell me? They scared the wits out of me!"  
  
"Figured they would."  
  
"What are you guys working on?" Harry asked.  
  
"McGonagall's loads of homework," Ron muttered  
  
Harry nodded. "She heard me complaining about it to Sirius in the hall. She got really mad."  
  
"What did she say."  
  
"Homework is 'Very necessary'."  
  
"Well it is," Hermione said in a superior voice that sounded similar to McGonagall's own.  
  
They worked together for nearly two hours before saying goodnight and going their separate ways.  
  
The next day, Harry and Ron woke early and went down to breakfast. Harry looked at the teachers table but found that Sirius wasn't there yet. He groggily picked at some eggs and toast when a shadow fell over his plate.  
  
"Congratulations Mr. Quidditch Captain. Your father would be very proud."  
  
"No help to you. I can't believe you let them do that to me."  
  
"Trust me Harry, that was the best way you could have possibly found out."  
  
"Yeah, but I would have preferred an easier way."  
  
"Too bad!"  
  
Harry rolled his eyes.  
  
"I'm going to go eat Harry. I'll talk to you later."  
  
"Okay bye."  
  
Fred then snuck up behind Harry and whined, "I thought you said you'd yell!"  
  
Harry grinned, "I can't stay mad at him."  
  
Fred sighed and went down the table to sit with his twin.  
  
The rest of the day was similar to the first, as were the many days that followed. Sirius and Harry spent ample time together around the castle. Harry was so happy that Sirius had taken up the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. He was now doing great in that class.  
  
As for potion's, however, Harry was doing very poorly. Snape just barely had him passing, and it wasn't for credible reasons. Every day Sirius was ready to curse him, and Harry was ready to give up on the class all together. Snape always found something wrong with what Harry did, even if the rest of the class did the same thing. An example was always made out of Harry's work.  
  
One day the class was making a blood replenishing potion, it was supposed to come out blood red. Harry's came out pink. Snape was being extra cruel that day and orally giving out grades. First he went to Malfoy, whose potion was also pink, and gave him an A. He then went to Seamus, another pink potion, and gave him a B. Then he went to Harry's made a big deal out of the pink hue and failed him. That was the last straw for Harry. He got right up and walked directly out of the classroom.  
  
"Mr. Potter, where do you think you are going?" Snape called behind him, but he didn't care. Harry walked straight to the staircase that lead to Dumbledore's office and began to guess the password. He had no trouble that day, his third guess opened it up, chocolate frogs. Harry was actually slightly disappointed that it had been so easy. He ignored that fact though, and stormed up the spiral staircase and knocked on Dumbledore's door.  
  
"Come in," Dumbledore called.  
  
Harry turned the handle and entered the room. He was surprised to see that Sirius was inside.  
  
"Harry, what are you doing here?"  
  
He ignored his godfather and turned to Dumbledore. "I've had enough!"  
  
"What do you mean Mr. Potter?" Dumbledore asked, completely bewildered.  
  
"Snape! I've had enough of Snape! I never did anything to him, but he won't leave me alone. I'm almost failing his class although all but one potion I've ever made worked fine! This isn't right and I can't take it anymore!"  
  
"Harry calm down, yelling isn't going to help any. What did he do this time?"  
  
"We're making this blood replenishing potion and it's supposed to be blood red. But the entire class ended up with pink potion! There was probably something wrong with the ingredients. The point it he was giving out A's and B's to potion that looked identical to mine, and do you know what he gave me? An F! He failed me!"  
  
"Mr. Potter, are you sure you didn't do anything wrong in making the potion, something Professor Snape may have seen?"  
  
"He wasn't even watching us make it, Professor. And he told me that the reason I failed was because the potion was pink and not red. He didn't even test it!"  
  
Sirius was surprised to see Harry so angry. He was angrier than he had been when Sirius had told him he couldn't go to Azkaban, angrier than when he thought he had been betrayed by Remus. It was clear that Harry was much more serious about his school work than he let on.  
  
"Harry, you know how Snape is with you. It's not your fault, it's your fathers and mine. But you're right, it's not fair. Dumbledore, are you going to do something about this?"  
  
"I'll talk to Severus, yes."  
  
"I think I'd like to talk to Severus as well," Sirius said in a dark tone.  
  
"Very well, we'll have a meeting tonight before dinner the three of us. Harry, I think it best that you aren't present for this meeting."  
  
Harry nodded, but his fists were still clenched in anger.  
  
"Did we cover all that you wanted to talk to me about Dumbledore?"  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "Harry, you'll be excused from Potions until we get this all worked out."  
  
"Thank you professor," Harry said shortly and headed toward the door, followed by Sirius.  
  
"My room, now please Harry."  
  
Harry nodded and they headed there. Harry was now very familiar with the route to Sirius's room, as he often went there on the weekends. He went inside and flopped himself down on the couch next to J, who rested his head on Harry's knee.  
  
Sirius brought a table chair directly in front of Harry and sat in it.  
  
"Harry, I know what happened today pissed you off immensely, but you can't handle situations like that. Dumbledore deserves more respect than that from you. He's going to help you out, and you should be happy about that. Next time something like that happens come to me first, and then we'll address it to Dumbledore, calmly and rationally. What happened today was neither calm nor rational."  
  
"I know, I'm sorry. I was just so mad! I still am. I can't handle anger well, you know that. Just think back to when I tried to kill you in the shrieking shack."  
  
Sirius smiled slightly. "You really knew how to pack a punch, that was for sure. You have the same temper as James though, you know. It took a lot to get him mad, but when you did, watch out. But eventually he learned to control it, and you need to too."  
  
Harry nodded. "I know."  
  
"So, how's quidditch practice going?"  
  
"Awesome! Ron's a better keeper than Wood ever was. I think we could go all the way again this year. First match is Saturday against Ravenclaw, you going to come cheer us on?"  
  
"I wouldn't miss it for the world."  
  
"Good, I'm going to go meet Ron and Hermione for lunch now. They're probably wondering where I ran off to."  
  
"Okay, Harry. Why don't you meet me here after dinner, and I'll tell you about tonight's meeting with Snapey-poo."  
  
Harry nodded and then left Sirius's quarters.  
  
The rest of the day went very smoothly for Harry, though he often had to avoid Snape in the hallway. Truth was that Harry was a little bit afraid of Snape, ever since he had found out that he had once been a deatheater. He knew that Dumbledore trusted Snape, but Harry just couldn't bring himself to trust him as well. For all he knew, Snape was really a spy for Voldemort about what Dumbledore did. Snape could easily be playing both sides of the field.  
  
Just as Sirius had asked, Harry went straight to his room after dinner, but found Sirius wasn't there. He had noticed that neither Sirius nor Snape had been at dinner either. Harry was a little worried, but figured the meeting had gone much longer than anticipated. Harry flopped on the couch and began flipping through a copy of the Daily Profit that was lying on Sirius's coffee table.  
  
Fifteen minutes later Sirius strode in, looking as angry as Harry had been earlier.  
  
"God I hate that bastard!" he yelled, slamming himself hard onto the couch next to Harry.  
  
Harry wasn't quite sure what to do, so he just sat there staring at Sirius, who finally turned to him. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed deeply. "Sorry I'm late Harry," he muttered.  
  
"It's okay, what happened?" Harry asked quietly.  
  
Sirius sighed again. "Snape believes he treats you no different than any other student. He says if he's too hard on you it's because he 'wants to make sure the other students realize that fame isn't everything.'"  
  
"That's a laugh."  
  
"I know, Dumbledore knows it too. He has asked that Snape doesn't make an example out of you anymore. I explained that you don't like your fame anyways, and if anything he brings more attention to it than you do. That left him pretty speechless for a bit and then he went on about how it's his class and he should be able to teach it anyway he wants. So I told Dumbledore that if he was going to allow you to be treated like that I would no longer allow you to have potions with him."  
  
"But if I don't have potions with him than who will I have it with?"  
  
"I talked to McGonagall today, and she said she'd be happy to teach it to you, kind of like an independent study of potions. It's up to you Harry, though. I think Snape will change a bit after tonight, but it won't be that much of a change."  
  
"I'll stick it out another week or so, if it doesn't change, I guess I'll take you up on the McGonagall thing. Maybe she'd be able to help me learn how to do the Wolfsbane."  
  
Sirius was surprised that Harry remembered about that but agreed with the statement. "That would be awesome for Remus when he comes back. The first few transformations after that are going to be killer."  
  
Harry nodded and then asked, "Is that all you talked about? You were gone an awfully long time."  
  
"No, that's not all. First we had to go through Dumbledore calling a truce again. That's never going to happen, I can tell you that. Then Snape tried to give you a detention for walking out of his class. Both Dumbledore and I ranted for at least 20 minutes to get you out of it."  
  
"Did you?"  
  
Sirius nodded with a small smile. "There's no way I'm going to let you beat my record!"  
  
"Don't worry Sirius, I'm not even going to try, especially not with Snape detentions."  
  
"Sorry I couldn't do more to help you out with the potions thing, Snape is more stubborn than a mule."  
  
Harry laughed lightly and the subject again turned to the upcoming quidditch game. Harry left Sirius's room late that night, everyone in his dorm was already asleep. Luckily Harry had done all of his homework before dinner, so he was able to go straight to sleep when got back.  
  
The quidditch game that Saturday was a huge success. It went on for about an hour with Gryffindor scoring 130 points and Ravenclaw only 20 before Harry caught the snitch and ended the game. Ravenclaw really didn't stand a chance against the front Harry had going. Next game wasn't until after Christmas, and Harry thought that maybe it was possible that Remus would be able to come and watch. He didn't get his hopes up, however.  
  
After the game they threw a marvelous party in the common room and Sirius joined in the festivities, but Harry wasn't having the best time. Sirius pulled Harry aside and asked, "What's the matter, bud? You just won the game, you should be happy!"  
  
Harry shrugged. "I don't really know what's wrong, I just don't feel so good."  
  
"Are you sick?" Sirius asked in a concerned voice, putting his hand against Harry's forehead.  
  
Harry shook his head, "No, I'm not sick, I just feel like something- something isn't right. I don't feel like partying either. But I can never escape these things. It always follows me straight to my bed."  
  
"Lets go to my rooms, you can have the couch for the night and get some peace and quiet. How's that sound?"  
  
Harry nodded and went to find Ron to tell him what he was doing. Ron looked disappointed but didn't say anything. Harry then went through the portrait hole with Sirius. When they got there Sirius found some spare blankets and pillows and made a makeshift bed for Harry there on the couch, and then they both sat down to talk.  
  
"So what's the problem, Harry?"  
  
"It's just...I don't really know, something just doesn't feel right. I don't know what the problem is, but something's going on. I don't really want to talk about it, can I just go to sleep?"  
  
Sirius squeezed the back of Harry's neck and said, "Of course you can." He let Harry crawl under the blankets and then pulled them up to his chin. He then sat back in his chair and watched Harry drift into sleep.  
  
Sirius sat there like that for two straight hours, contemplating what could be wrong with Harry. No matter how hard he thought about it he couldn't figure out what the problem could be. He was about to make his way to his bedroom when he saw Harry begin to thrash. One hand reached up and grabbed his scar tightly while the rest of his body began to convulse like he was having a seizure. Harry was muttering things incoherently and Sirius was sufficiently freaked out. He pointed his wand quickly at Harry and said, "Enervate!" Harry immediately stopped thrashing, but his hand still held tight to his scar. He was pinching it like he was trying to remove it from his body.  
  
When he realized he was awake he nearly fell off the couch. Sirius saw that there were tears in his eyes, tears of fear and pain.  
  
"Harry, what happened?!"  
  
Harry didn't say a word, he just began to fiercely rub his scar. Rubbing soon turned to scratching. He was scratching the scar so hard that it was turning bright red and Sirius feared that Harry would hurt himself. Thus, Sirius grabbed both of Harry's hands and held them tightly in his own.  
  
He again asked, more firmly this time, "What happened."  
  
Harry looked right into Sirius's eyes and shook his head. His eyes looked so scared, more scared than Sirius had ever seen them. He pulled Harry into a hug and rocked him slowly, back and forth trying to get the fear out of him. He noticed that Harry had begun shaking, so he pulled a blanket around him as well. Harry eventually stopped shaking and Sirius pulled back a little to look at him. He hadn't lost the scared look in his eyes.  
  
"Harry, please tell me what's going on," Harry whispered.  
  
Harry sighed like an old man and replied quietly. "I-I've been having those dreams again."  
  
"Which dreams? The ones about Remus?"  
  
Harry shook his head, "No, the ones where I see what Voldemort's doing. It's not pretty Sirius. And it hurts so much."  
  
"Your scar?"  
  
Harry nodded and without realizing began to scratch it again.  
  
"Don't scratch Harry, hold on." Sirius got up and went to find a bottle of lotion that he had somewhere. He brought it back and put a bit on the tips of his fingers and began to gently massage it into Harry's scar. The second he touched it, however, visions appeared in his head. He saw men in dark robes torturing people in there homes. Quick little snippets of different people and different torturers. Sirius pulled his fingers away from Harry's forehead and the visions stopped. He looked at Harry in awe.  
  
"What?" Harry asked, slightly disturbed by the look Sirius was giving me. The look of awe turned to a look of pure pity.  
  
"Do you always have those visions? Do they ever go away?"  
  
Harry looked down, ashamed. Sirius cupped his chin and made him look at him. Harry then nodded and whispered, "They're always there...but, how did you know?"  
  
"When I touched your scar, I could see them too."  
  
Harry looked down again in shame.  
  
"Bud, how long have you been having these for?"  
  
"Since before Remus was sent to Azkaban..." Harry whispered.  
  
Sirius sat up straight, "What?! How come you never told me?"  
  
Harry looked scared, like he had just done something that would cause Sirius to forever disown him. "I-I didn't think it was that big of a deal. They weren't this bad or frequent until recently. I didn't want to be a burden. And...it's like I'm insane or something. I hear voices Sirius and I see things, there's a word for that you know, schizophrenia!"  
  
Sirius put his hands firmly on Harry's shoulders. "Harry, you're not schizophrenic. What you see and hear are things that are really happening. Schizophrenics have visions that are completely from their mind. No one else can see them. I just saw yours. Your not crazy Harry! And you're not a burden either. This is a big deal, and when things like this happen I need you to tell me. You promised me that if anything was wrong you'd tell me and you didn't."  
  
"I'm sorry," Harry mumbled almost inaudibly.  
  
"It's okay Harry, just please, please, please tell me when something like this is going on. It's not safe for you to go on like that. When were you planning on telling me?"  
  
"When I couldn't deal with it anymore."  
  
Sirius let out a long breath, and wrapped Harry in his arms again. Slowly rocking him back and forth. "We're going to talk to Dumbledore about this in the morning, okay bud?"  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"Go back to sleep," Sirius whispered as he continued to rock Harry like he was a baby. Soon, Harry did fall back to sleep, and Sirius eased him back down onto the couch and covered him with the blankets. Sirius sat back down in his chair and stayed up all night watching to make sure Harry didn't panic again.  
  
Harry awoke with the sun the next morning to see Sirius just starting to doze off.  
  
"Sirius, how come you didn't go to bed?"  
  
"I wanted to make sure you were okay."  
  
Harry sighed and shook his head. "You didn't have to do that."  
  
"No, but I wanted to. Are you hungry?"  
  
"A little," Harry said, yawning and stretching his arms up high in the air.  
  
"You want breakfast in here or do you want to go eat with your friends?"  
  
"My friends are probably still asleep. So if we can, I'd like to eat in here."  
  
"Of course we can eat in here, house elves take care of it."  
  
Sirius went to his little kitchen and rang a bell. In seconds food enough for ten appeared and Sirius brought some of it over to the couch.  
  
"So...last night," Sirius began.  
  
Harry immediately apologized.  
  
"No, Harry I'm not upset about it, I just want to talk to you about it."  
  
"Okay," Harry said quietly.  
  
"Is it always THAT bad?"  
  
Harry shook his head. "No, last night was really bad. Probably the worst it's ever been. It seemed so much more real last night."  
  
Sirius nodded pensively, "I wonder what could make them stop."  
  
Harry shrugged. It was something he thought about often, and the only solution he could think of was to die, and he definitely wasn't ready for that. He also knew that Sirius would flip his lid if he heard Harry even mention it as a solution.  
  
"Is this what made you feel so off yesterday?"  
  
"I really don't know, I still don't know what my problem was yesterday. I just had this feeling that something really bad was happening somewhere...I don't know where or what...I just could tell."  
  
Sirius nodded and sighed, running his hands through his hair. "You done with your breakfast?"  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"Lets go see Dumbledore then."  
  
They both stood up and walked to the door. Sirius turned as an owl came through his window and dropped a copy of the Daily Profit on the table.  
  
"Wait a sec, Harry, this could hold the answers to whatever you felt was wrong yesterday."  
  
He walked to the table and unfolded the paper. He gasped when he saw the front page headline, "Azkaban Fortress Dismantled by Dark Forces."  
  
"What is it Sirius?" Harry asked seeing that Sirius's face turned ghostly pale.  
  
"They got into Azkaban...Moony..." was all he said before rushing to the door and through the corridors until he reached Dumbledore's office, Harry following close behind. Dumbledore was just stepping out of his office when they approached. He looked grimly at the two and said, "So you've heard?"  
  
How was that? I had no problems at all with that chapter. I'm sorry I didn't go into detail with the Quidditch scene, but I hate quidditch, I really hate it. I've changed my plans slightly, but the stories pretty much going to have the same ending, I'm thinking about eight more chapters, I want to keep it under 30 but I'll go further if I must. Please Review! 


	24. Chapter 24

Another one down! You'll be happy to know that I'm back to enjoying writing this story again, but I do have a huge tendency to become embarrassed about this addiction I have. My friends talk to me on AOL, as I write, and I wonder what they would think if they knew what I was doing, writing this story. I know, one of my friends is obsessed with Otown, and everyone gets on her about it all the time, exactly why I don't let them know what I really do on here. So Review Review time!  
  
Sirius is Sexy: You'll see about Remus, glad to know that you care!  
  
Xo-chinadoll-ox: I'm happy you enjoy my story so much! I'm once again enjoying writing it, so I guess we're both happy!  
  
Rhiain: Thanks for the review, Moony....you'll see what happens to Moony.  
  
Laralynn: I'm glad I stuck with the story too, I wish I never scared you all by saying I was giving it up. Here's the next chapter for you!  
  
Electricity of the phoenix: I'm glad you thought it was an exciting chapter! I had fun writing it, but more fun writing this one, so I hope you like it too!  
  
Carolyn: You'll have to read to find out if Remus is gonna be okay! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Tiff: I'm so happy you don't think my stories too sappy, sometimes I wonder. I have been informed about the Health Care thing in Britain, I should really fix it, but never seem to get around to it. Thanks though, I hope you like the rest of the story as well!  
  
Esperanza: Speechless!?!? That's a good thing, right?  
  
Sushine1shell: Read to find out about Moony, and you're right, he doesn't deserve anything bad to happen, but people don't always get what they deserve, as I've already shown, more times than I probably should have. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Fabnikki: I know what you mean about reading non stop except for necessities, I do it way too much, especially over the summer, it was really quite ridiculous. But I'm glad you're doing it with my fic : ). I have been informed about the Health Care thing, but thank you so much anyways, I should go back and fix that. I hope you do hang on for the next chapter, and all the ones after that! And, I'm sorry I can't make my story lighter anymore. It was so much easier when they had nothing to do those summer days. But I promise to make sure I add some more light, funny scenes before the end. Don't you hate when you're reading these things and you start laughing, it's so embarrassing! "What are you laughing at?" "Oh nothing" I do try to stick in some small humorous things, but there's so much angst in the story that its often overlooked as more seriousness. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Moonlight: Yup, they got into Azkaban. You'll have to read to see if Remus is okay, and what has happened to him. The full extent of it all won't be out until next chapter, but you pretty much will see it all in this one. Enjoy : )  
  
A.Dee: Yeah, FanFic.net malfunctions a lot doesn't it? Anyhow, I'm glad I decided to keep writing too. I won't tell you if Remus's alright, you'll have to read it and find out for yourself. I imagine you like it better that way anyhow!  
  
Ella: Thanks for the review, and tell me what you think about what's happened to Moony, once you read it!  
  
Sirius the homicidal maniac: Yes I'm back, LOL. You liked the enervate thing, huh? I always wonder why they never do that for him too though. Rather, they just let him suffer with his nightmares. It's cruel!!! *Hug back*  
  
Tinuviel: Thank you for reading my story instead of studying, LOL. I know how you feel though, I always seem to slack off just so I can read fanfics. Something I can really do anytime. Trust me, though, this is far from the weirdest review I've ever received. It was actually quite normal. I'm glad you like the story thus far, and hope you continue to enjoy it!  
  
Elizabeth Bathory: You'll see what I've done with Remus, I missed him too much to leave him out of the story any longer, does that give you a hint? Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Melissa Lupin: LOL, you really don't want Remus to die, read the chapter, you shouldn't be too upset... :P  
  
Shitsumon: Thanks for correcting my spelling. Stupid me! I was like the Daily Profit? What kind of a name is that? I guess a paper can make a profit...God, I didn't once think of the other prophet...thank you very much! And, I don't know how I let Harry have conversations with himself, but you know sometimes it just happens. I'll try to remember to go back and fix it! I'm glad you like the story despite these things, please keep reading and reviewing and telling me what I've done wrong!  
  
Theeadia: That was a cliffie, I like writing those. You must have just joined the story, cuz I've definitely written worse ones then that. This one has a little one too. I like writing them!  
  
KaceyRat: You want more? Well here it is! And what r u gonna do if Remus isn't okay? Thanks for reviewing!  
  
The Nemisister Raptor: I've written worse cliffie's than that haven't I? Like when Harry's heart stopped beating? Or when someone died? Maybe this is worse I don't know. But thank you for reviewing, hope you enjoy Remus's fate :P  
  
Aurora: Thanks for the heads up on the fee health service, glad you like the story! Keep reading!  
  
A-Potter-Person: h.e.r.e. i.s. m.o.r.e. s.t.o.r.y Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Chaser: You'll see how Moony is, enjoy!  
  
Kitty: You'll see how Moony is, enjoy!  
  
Potter Ioleus: I'm finishing, I promise! I hate when authors do that too. Especially when they don't tell you. Sorry that I almost did it!! I'm glad you like my story. I'm trying to do a really good job, and I hope its working!  
  
Lamina Court: I briefly considered it being the full moon, but I thought Moony had been through enough, so have no fear! I'm glad you're liking the story still, and are keeping posted on how long it is before OOP comes out. I have to keep writing well, just to get that from you!  
  
Professor Authordude: What does ACK mean? You don't like it. I'm sorry if you don't like it, but could ya tell me why?  
  
Moongirl: I guarantee nothing about killing people in this story. But no, I won't kill anyone actually. :P Thanks for the review!  
  
Geordie Lass 4eva: I'm glad you think its brilliant, Thanks!  
  
Katie: Yup, I'm continuing...I still feel incredibly stupid for ever saying I wasn't going to! I don't mind that you didn't review the previous chapter, I'm just glad you read it. Well, its not definitely 8, but I'm hoping for somewhere around there. There may be a sequel, but I'm not really planning on writing one. I thought I'd just stop writing afterwards, but it depends on what ideas come to me, you know? Read on and you'll find what I've decided to do about Remus. You're right, I did miss writing about Remus * grins sheepishly * thank you for reviewing yet again. You're one of my favorite reviewers, so don't stop! I may take you up on the springboard offer. I could use the help on some occasions. Like at the end of this chapter I was going to have it go one of two ways. I settled it on my own, though. And I'm very upset with who they picked to play Sirius and Remus. Sirius's actor kind of looks right, but there's something about him that just makes me want to scream NO! And Remus's is just not right at all. Ugh, I should be the casting director!!! Next chapter should be out fairly soon. Hope to hear from you again!  
  
Padfoot1979: Dismantled is pretty foreboding, huh? But that's what happened as you'll see in this chapter. Hope I did a good job! I'm glad you liked the last chapter, hope you liked this one as well!!!  
  
Zoidamisu: Thanks so much! You really think it's the best Sirius fic? I must disagree with you there, but thank you so much anyway : )  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
"Please come into my office, Sirius, Harry." Dumbledore said, opening the door he had just shut.  
  
"So, it's true Albus? They really-they really got into Azkaban?"  
  
"Yes, I'm sorry to say it is the truth."  
  
"So, what about the prisoners? What about Remus?"  
  
"That's what I was about to go find out, but I thought I should talk to you first. Sirius, this situation is dire. I'm hoping that Remus will not have left his cell, but for all I know the deatheater's forced him out of there."  
  
"Oh God, and he was already in such bad shape...Albus, do you think he'll make it?"  
  
"Your guess is as good as mine, Mr. Black. Now, I must be on my way. Mr. Potter, since it is Sunday you have nothing to worry about, but if I'm not back by tomorrow, you may be excused from your classes. Sirius, if you're not up to teaching tell Professor McGonagall and she'll find a substitute."  
  
"You'll take him here if you find him, won't you?" Sirius asked, panicking.  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "I'll be back soon, don't worry too much, but don't get your hopes up either." With those words Dumbledore left a stunned Harry and Sirius alone in his office.  
  
Sirius took a moment to process all that Dumbledore had said and then put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Lets go, Harry."  
  
Harry nodded and together they made it back to Sirius rooms. Harry didn't say a word, but resumed his terrified gaze and stared into nothing. This wasn't helping Sirius much. His best friends life was again in major jeopardy, and his godson was going insane. Just what he needed.  
  
"Harry, are you okay?"  
  
Harry slowly turned his head and then nodded, "I just wish everything could be normal. I wish that I could have one month of complete normalcy! Is that too much to ask for?"  
  
Sirius put his hand on Harry's head and ruffled his hair gently, "No Harry, it's not too much to ask for. Someday, someday you'll have that normalcy. I'm going to make it happen. I promise." Sirius then put his arms loosely around Harry and rested his chin on Harry's head.  
  
He looked down as he heard Harry whisper, "Don't make promises you can't keep."  
  
"How about I promise to do everything in my power to make everything normal one day?"  
  
"I can live with that," Harry whispered. They sat in silence for a while after that, until Sirius let out a big yawn. Harry then remembered that Sirius hadn't gotten any sleep that night, because of him.  
  
"I'm going to go shower and change my clothes, talk to Ron and Hermione about...this. You should get some sleep, I'm sorry I kept you up all night."  
  
"It's no problem Harry, you go have fun with your friends. Remember you can come here anytime you feel like it. I think I will go to sleep now."  
  
Harry got up and Sirius sprawled out on the couch. He was apparently too tired to even walk the few yards to his bedroom. Sirius sprawled his arms out for a hug and Harry leaned over to give him one.  
  
"Bye Harry."  
  
"Bye Sirius," Harry said as he walked out the door. After he shut the door, he leaned against it sighing deeply. He wanted to cry, but told himself that there would be no tears at Hogwarts. He closed his eyes and thought of how awful that night and morning had been. His thoughts were rudely interrupted by one of the last people he wanted to see, Snape.  
  
"What are you doing here, Potter?" he spat. "I know Black gives you free access to his room, but that doesn't mean you can loiter here in the teachers hallway."  
  
"I wasn't loitering, I was just leaving."  
  
"Good, leave, and I for one would appreciate it if you would stay in your own hall from now on."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes, Snape caught it.  
  
"Don't you roll your eyes at me, Potter, unless you want house points taken away!"  
  
"Why do you hate me so much Snape? What in the world did I, Harry Potter, ever do to you?" Harry didn't know where his courage to ask such a question came from, the questions just seemed to flow out of him. Snape was equally taken aback by it.  
  
He was momentarily speechless, but his words eventually found a way to his mouth. "I do not hate any student, Mr. Potter. I simply dislike you! I dislike everything you are, mainly your fame."  
  
"My fame? My Fame!!! I don't even want my fame. I would give anything to no longer be the famous Harry Potter! Sirius told you that, I know he did! I would gladly give all that up for a normal life with Sirius and Remus, but I can't have that. Remus is who knows where right now, I'm seeing things that I don't want to see....life for Harry Potter sucks and you're just making it worse! Do you know what I would give to be any other student in this school? I wish I could be like...like Ernie MacMillan. Nobody cares what he does, he's a normal kid. If he gets a good grade, good for him, but it isn't reported in the friggin' Daily Prophet!" Harry was nearly winded after this tirade. He still had no idea where any of his words were coming from, but he could no longer hold them inside.  
  
Snape gaped at him for a moment. "Your fame isn't the only thing I dislike about you Potter. That Gryffindor Pride of yours makes me sick. You're an incessant trouble maker, and I hate...hate that blasted scar!"  
  
"Gryffindor pride, well that's considered a good thing to most. Dumbledore has Gryffindor pride too and you like him! I only get into trouble when I'm trying to help things. And trouble finds me, I don't go looking for it like you seem to think. And I hate this scar too! What the hell do you think I can do about it? Do you realize what this scar does? It's a direct connection to Voldemort! More direct than that skull tattooed on your arm. It sends me visions professor, visions of what Voldemort and those deatheaters do to poor, innocent people. A pastime I believe you once participated in! Can you even imagine what that's like for me? Do you want to see what I see everyday?"  
  
Snape was beyond fighting, curiosity was getting the better of him, something he never allowed to happen. "Yes," he said.  
  
Harry still looked fired up, but he calmed his voice slightly and said, "Touch my scar."  
  
Snape reached out one cold, bony finger and pressed it gently against the lightning bolt scar. Flashes of pictures appeared in his head. For Snape at least, the flashes brought back old memories of what his own life once was like. Harry watched his professor's face as he saw what Harry saw. Snape was grimacing and squinting and after a few moments it was clear that he couldn't handle seeing anymore, he pulled his finger away.  
  
For a moment he looked at Harry with pity in his eyes, which really wasn't what Harry was going for. He just wanted to show his professor that Harry didn't think he was the king of the castle, and that his life was harder than everyone else's, not better.  
  
Snape, checked his expression back to his normal cold one, but there was something in his eyes that told Harry that Snape's opinion of him had changed that day.  
  
"Move along now Potter," he said softly and turned into a room a little ways down the hall from Sirius's.  
  
Harry was slightly bewildered but he did as Snape requested and returned to his common room.  
  
Ron was sitting alone in the common room when Harry arrived.  
  
"Hey, mate, where've you been?"  
  
"With Sirius," Harry said in a tired voice.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"I take it you haven't read the Daily Prophet yet...where's Hermione?"  
  
"In the library I think, don't know really. What was in the Daily Prophet?"  
  
Harry swallowed hard and said in a very tight voice, "Azkaban has been taken over by the deatheaters. No one knows yet what's happened to Remus, or what's going to happen to him."  
  
"Bloody Hell," Ron muttered. "What are they doing to find him?"  
  
"We just talked to Dumbledore, he's on his way to find him now. He's going to take whatever's left of him back here."  
  
Ron looked down, he didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry Harry."  
  
"Me too."  
  
"Do you want to do something to take your mind off it...until you know what's going to come of it."  
  
Harry nodded and said, "Lets play chess."  
  
They began a game and Harry's mind finally stopped worrying, until Ron noticed how red Harry's forehead was.  
  
"Your forehead's all red, mate," he said, reaching a finger out to touch his scar.  
  
Harry immediately clapped a hand over it. He didn't want Ron to see what he had to see. Ron understood Harry enough, he didn't need further depth into his world.  
  
"You don't want to touch that, Ron."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I don't want to explain, just trust me, okay? It's your move."  
  
Ron gave Harry another curious look and turned back to the game. They played all afternoon.  
  
Meanwhile, Dumbledore had just reached what was left of Azkaban. A wall was blown out on one side of the fortress, and the bodies of a few dead prisoners lay in the ruins. Dumbledore ventured forth and looked at each of the dead bodies, there weren't many dead, and Remus, thankfully wasn't one of them. He then searched inside the cells, few were still closed and there were some terrified prisoners contained in a few of them. Again, none of them were Remus.  
  
This confirmed one of Dumbledore's fears. The deatheaters had done something to Remus. He checked a few other things around the ruins of the fortress and then left to explore the area surrounding Azkaban. He searched behind trees, in bushes, but still found no sign of Remus Lupin anywhere, nor any other of the escaped convicts. He had been searching for hours now, and was ready to call it a day. He took a boat back to the mainland and was about to apparate to Hogsmead when he heard the rustle of a bush nearby, followed by a moan of pain. He threw his arm out and pointed his wand in the direction the noise had come from and slowly crept forward.  
  
Pushing aside some brush Dumbledore bent down to peer through the thickets of leaves and what he saw threw him back. There, curled in the fetal position was one, Remus Lupin. Remus's eyes were dark, his skin filthy and cut up in many places. He was shaking like mad, though the weather was still very warm. Remus stared at Dumbledore, almost in fear, as though he didn't remember him at all. Soon, however, recognition showed in his face and he opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a scratchy sound.  
  
"Mr. Lupin! Thank heavens I've found you! Have no fear, I'll take you to the castle immediately. It's all over Remus, you have nothing to worry about anymore."  
  
Remus nodded slowly and looked like he was trying to get up, but failed miserably. Dumbledore crept deeper into the bushes and grabbed Remus under the arms and dragged his very light frame out, being careful not to injure him further. Dumbledore made sure he had a firm grip and did something he rarely liked to do, apparated himself and Remus to Hogsmead. It was very dangerous to do this, as the risk of splinching was much greater, but the situation was dire.  
  
The two made it safely to Hogsmead, where Dumbledore conjured a stretcher and placed Remus on it. Dumbledore was strong for his age, but not strong enough to carry a full grown man that distance. He levitated Remus up to the castle and directly to the hospital wing.  
  
Madam Pomfrey hurried over to him and was in a near panic as she checked all of his vital signs. All of them were there, but not in good condition. His pulse was very slow, and his blood pressure was way below the norm. Pomfrey was worried.  
  
She managed to get him stabilized and told Dumbledore that he was in critical condition. The next 24 hours would tell them what they all wanted to know. Pomfrey did everything she could for him and then gave him a sleeping potion so he could have his first peaceful sleep in a very long time.  
  
Once Dumbledore had some good information, he went to report his findings to Sirius. He walked speedily to Sirius's room and knocked loudly on the door.  
  
It took a while, but Sirius finally came to the door. Dumbledore knew instantly that he had just woken up, as his hair was disheveled and there were pillow wrinkles on his face. At seeing Dumbledore, however, he was instantly awake.  
  
"What happened?" Sirius asked immediately.  
  
"I found him."  
  
"You-you found him? That's great! Is he okay?"  
  
Dumbledore shook his head. "He's in pretty bad shape, Sirius. Madam Pomfrey has examined him and said he's in critical condition. The next 24 hours will be crucial. It's really up to him if he wants to survive."  
  
"Oh God...he has to live! Can I see him?"  
  
"He's sleeping right now, under a potion, but I'm sure he'd like visitors when he wakes. Why don't you get Harry first and then head to the hospital wing together."  
  
Sirius nodded, "Thanks Albus, for finding him."  
  
"Not a problem Sirius, of course."  
  
Dumbledore then turned and left the room. Sirius threw on some nicer clothes and headed for the Gryffindor common room. Harry was playing exploding snap with Ron and a few other boys from his year. He instantly spotted Sirius and put his cards down and approached his godfather.  
  
"Did they...?" Harry began.  
  
"Yeah, Dumbledore found Remus. He's here in the castle."  
  
"That's awesome!" Harry exclaimed.  
  
"Not that awesome, Harry. Dumbledore says he's in really bad shape and may not make it through the next 24 hours."  
  
The happy smile on Harry's face immediately disappeared.  
  
"Can we go see him?"  
  
Sirius nodded, "I just wanted to grab you first. Lets go."  
  
"Okay, just a second," Harry said before telling his friends he was done playing.  
  
They all asked why and Harry said, "There's someone I need to visit," and left the room with Sirius.  
  
Ron knew who the person Harry going to visit was, but thought it best not to tell the others. Dumbledore was probably going to keep it on the lowdown.  
  
Harry and Sirius walked quickly through the halls until they reached the door to the hospital wing. "Got to be really quiet, Harry, or Pomfrey will kick us out."  
  
"I know, I've seen it done many times."  
  
"Okay," Sirius said darkly and pushed open the door. He walked straight to Pomfrey's desk and asked her where Remus was. It took no coaxing for once, and she pointed him right in the direction of Remus's bed.  
  
Before she let Sirius go, however, she said, "I have him in a coma-like sleep. He won't respond or anything, but he can still hear you and may be able to process things you say. Tell him words of encouragement. Maybe you'll even bring him back to consciousness if you talk to him long enough."  
  
Sirius nodded and they headed for the bed. They slipped under the curtains and had the first glimpse of Remus that they had seen in a few months. Saying he looked awful was an understatement. Remus looked like death itself. His entire head looked swollen, while the rest of his body was extremely thin and bony. Bruises covered him all over, and there were scars where cuts had been healed. Sirius's heart caught in his throat at the sight of his best friend. Harry was speechless. They both pulled up chairs next to Remus. Sirius grabbed one of Remus's hands, and one of Harry's.  
  
"Moony, buddy, we're here for you, me and Harry. We're so happy you're here Moony, you can't even begin to know. We were so worried, both when you were in Azkaban and when it was attacked. But now you're here, safe, but we're still worried. Moony, fight, don't die, fight for your life, you can do it, and we'll help you. Don't let it be the end." Tears were forming in Sirius's eyes as he spoke. Remus showed no sign that he heard a word of what Sirius was saying, and that upset Sirius even more.  
  
His voice cracked on and off as he continued talking, "You're my brother Moony, you always have been, ever since our first year at Hogwarts, I considered you my brother. And when my real family died, you, you and James and Lily became my family. And when they died, you were it. The whole time I was in Azkaban, I missed two people, you and little Harry. And now, today the two of you are my family. More so than Sorai, she's my family by blood, and I love her, but you-you and Harry are my real family. Don't leave me and Harry, Rem. We need you so much, and we miss you. Fight."  
  
That was all Sirius could say as he began sobbing with worry. He released both Harry's and Remus's hands and buried his face in his own at the edge of Remus's bed. Harry stood and walked to the other side of the bed and sat on the edge of it. He grabbed hold of one of Remus's withered hands and examined it closely, not saying a word. He then examined the rest of Remus's arm as well. He found that it was almost deteriorating, and the bone was all he could really feel.  
  
Harry sat there for a while in complete silence until Sirius had somehow managed to cry himself asleep, then Harry began to talk.  
  
"Remus, can-can you hear me?" he began. He got no answer from Remus whatsoever. "Well if you can, there are some things I want to tell you. First, I've missed you so much. It's so great to see you again, even in the condition you're in, but I still miss you. It's like, like your body's here but you're not. I have to see you, really see you one more time Remus, so please, please don't just go. Please don't die. Sirius couldn't take it, it would kill him too. I know it would. I thought it would when you were first sent to jail, but it didn't, he was okay as long as he kept up hope that you'd make it out fine. But, Remus, you're not fine. You're in critical condition. Now, I don't really know what that means, but it's obvious that it's not good, and that there's a good chance you're not going to make it...but you have to. C'mon Remus, you can do it."  
  
Harry didn't really know what else to say, so he started reminiscing. "When you taught here Remus, that was probably the best year of my life. No one really tried to kill me, except the dementors, and I had you around the school. When I first found out you were friends with my dad, I hoped we'd end up like we did. Me getting to know you a lot better, you know. But at the end of that year, I thought it would never happen. First when I thought you were another Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher who wanted to kill me, and then when you decided to leave, just because you were a werewolf. I don't care that you're a werewolf Remus. You and Sirius have quickly become...like...my two fathers. Something I really needed. I can't thank you enough for that, but well, I want to. And I can't thank you if you don't wake up and live Remus! Please wake up, wake up and tell me it will all be okay!"  
  
Harry had actually started shouting and tears began streaming down his face. He quickly wiped them away with both his and Remus's hand, as they were connected. He was about to let go of Remus's hand when he realized he had done that, but as he did, it gave his hand a slight pressure.  
  
"Remus?" Harry murmured, looking into his face. Remus's lip twitched slightly and his eyes squinted tightly. Then he relaxed his face and slowly opened his eyes. Harry smiled broadly at him.  
  
"Thank God, you're up...how do you feel?" Tears were still streaming down his face, but his voice was clear.  
  
Remus blinked a couple of times and looked at Harry. He lifted his hand and tried to wipe the tears from his eyes. Then, he tried to talk, but like earlier all that came out was scratchiness.  
  
"Do you want some water?" Harry asked, thinking it may help.  
  
Remus nodded and Harry jumped off the bed and ran towards the water cooler. He filled a small cup and brought it back to Remus. He carefully tipped the cup up to Remus's lips and poured the water into his mouth in small increments until the water was gone.  
  
Remus then tried to speak again, but was still very scratchy, though this time what he said was intelligible, "Thanks Harry."  
  
"No problem," Harry said, tears still streaming down his face.  
  
"Don't cry Harry, don't cry for me."  
  
"I won't if you say you'll be okay, will you?"  
  
Remus stared deeply into Harry's eyes and sighed deeply, "I'm going to try, after all you and Sirius just said...how could I not even try?"  
  
"You-you heard us? I didn't think you did."  
  
"Yeah, I heard you, you almost had me crying, too." Remus whispered through his hoarse voice. He tried to sit up in bed, but couldn't do it. Harry went and tried to help him. He was shocked to see how easy it was, Remus now weighed less then he did. Once he was sitting up, Remus reached out and pulled Harry into a tight, bony hug. Harry hugged back, but as gently as possible. Harry then helped Remus ease slowly back onto the pillows.  
  
"How do you feel?" Harry asked.  
  
"I don't really feel anything. Just a dull pain...everywhere. It's not so bad though. I just feel...really weak, like I couldn't stand right now if my life depended on it."  
  
Harry nodded and again grabbed a hold of Remus's hand.  
  
"Do-do you think you'll be alright?"  
  
"I think I will...it'll take a while, but I'm not ready to die yet, and I can't leave you and Sirius behind, not like this."  
  
Harry grinned at Remus with his eyes still quite watery.  
  
"Where's Padfoot?" Remus asked.  
  
Harry pointed to the other side of the bed. Remus looked embarrassed, but just smiled anyway. He slowly lifted a hand and plopped it on Sirius's head, it looked like he was aiming for the shoulder. He gently rubbed his hand through Sirius's hair like he was trying to push his head, but didn't have the strength. Luckily, Sirius wasn't sleeping deeply and he woke quickly.  
  
"Moony?" he muttered. Remus nodded his head. Sirius stood up and leaned in to give his best friend a long hug. "Thank God," he whispered, rocking Remus back and forth.  
  
"How are you?"  
  
"Just ducky Sirius," Remus joked, his voice still very hoarse.  
  
Sirius shook his head at the joke, "I'm serious."  
  
"I know you are," he joked again. (Sorry, I had to do that at least once).  
  
"Remus..." Sirius said, tears again welling in his eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry," Remus muttered. "Just trying to lighten the mood."  
  
"It's okay, you can do anything you want Rem. But please tell me, really, how are you?"  
  
"I'm not so bad, Sir, I think I'll be fine in the end...it'll be awhile though."  
  
"I missed you so much Rem...a day didn't go by when I didn't think about you...worry about you."  
  
"I always thought about you guys too. Thanks for that letter Sir, it helped more than you'll ever know."  
  
"I thought it would."  
  
"I still have it," Remus said, "It's in my pocket." Remus reached down to get it, but found that he was in a hospital gown and not his old dingy clothes. "Where the hell are my pants?!" Remus yelled as loud as he could, which wasn't that loud.  
  
"Shhh, Moony calm down, I'll go find your pants, okay?" Sirius asked.  
  
Remus nodded and put a hand to his head like he was going to pass out from the stress of not knowing where his pants were, or more importantly his letter. Sirius came back shortly with Remus's pants and tossed them on his lap. Remus sighed in relief and pulled a very ratty piece of paper out of the pocket. It was covered in dirt and the words could barely be read, but Remus had it memorized anyways. All he needed was the faint trace of Sirius's words to make him happy. He folded the letter back up and held on to it tightly.  
  
"So, Moony, physically you say you feel alright, how about mentally?"  
  
Remus couldn't think of a joke to get him out of this one, and he frowned slightly, looking down.  
  
"Rem?" Sirius asked, placing a hand on his friends trembling shoulder.  
  
Remus looked up with sad eyes and muttered, "It was awful Sirius...I think- I think I would have died before December if I had to stay in there. I could feel that I was half way to the loony bin as it was. I lived everyday in so much fear, I probably could have died from that. I'm still scared actually.  
  
I tried to do what you said, Sir, thought of why I didn't deserve to be there, when the dementors were around, and it just didn't help at all. They managed to take that away too."  
  
"You must have been thinking of it as a happy thing Rem, there's nothing you could have done about that."  
  
Remus was quiet for a while as he collected his thoughts, which were many and unpleasant. It looked like he was reliving every thing that happened while he was in Azkaban: all the transformations, the insane words of the others, the deaths of the others, the dementors, everything. Then all of a sudden, he just started sobbing.  
  
Sirius gently pulled Remus into a firm hug, and rocked him as he cried. Remus buried his head in Sirius's shoulder and sobbed in pure anguish.  
  
All the while, Sirius was muttering words of encouragement, telling him it was all over and that he never had to go back. He told him that his life was going to go back to normal now, but he himself wasn't so sure, nor was Remus, apparently.  
  
"You don't know that Padfoot, nobody knows what they're going to do to me now, I never finished my sentence."  
  
"I won't let them take you back to a place like that, Remus, and I don't think Dumbledore will either. Don't worry. Don't worry." Sirius started rocking Remus back and forth slowly until his tears ran dry.  
  
They sat in silence for a while and then Remus asked, "What's new with you guys?"  
  
Sirius smiled and replied, "I'm teaching."  
  
Remus did a double take making both Harry and Sirius laugh. "Yeah, there was an incident in Hogsmead the day we arrived and the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was murdered. Dumbledore called on me to fill the spot, and I willingly obliged. I really like it."  
  
"Didn't you tease me incessantly for teaching. Once I trusted you again, that is?"  
  
"Yeah, but now I understand what its like."  
  
"And Harry, what's new with you?"  
  
"Nothing really," Harry replied with a shrug, not wanting to get into the troubles with his scar, at least not yet.  
  
"Nothing really!?" Sirius exclaimed, making Harry flinch. "Being voted quidditch captain is nothing really?"  
  
"Quidditch captain, Harry? Excellent, your father would be so proud."  
  
Harry blushed slightly and then worried that Sirius would bring up the scar thing.  
  
"Harry, it really meant a lot that you came to see me. That definitely helped me carry out some of the harder days."  
  
Harry grinned slightly and gave Remus a tight hug.  
  
They talked for a while more about all that had happened over the months. Both Sirius and Harry leaving out the problems Harry had been having. They would tell him when he was ready to hear it. Around 9:30 Remus started yawning, and blinking much more than usual.  
  
"I think we better leave you to get some rest, Remus. I'm going to fetch Pomfrey first, though, so she can check up on you."  
  
Remus nodded and watched Sirius leave for a moment. Then he turned to Harry.  
  
"Your scar's really red, Harry," he said reaching up to touch it. Harry pulled back and nearly fell off the bed. Remus looked at him curiously, but didn't say anything.  
  
Harry hurried to come up with an explanation. "Yeah, umm, me and Ron were fooling around earlier in the common room and I rubbed it against the rug. It's just a little rug burn, it's a little sore's all."  
  
Remus looked skeptical, but he nodded anyways. He looked ready to ask another question when Madam Pomfrey came bustling in.  
  
"It's time for you two to leave, I need to see to it that this patient is well!"  
  
"We were planning on going Madam Pomfrey, but could you tell us what you think so far?"  
  
"Well, the fact that he's up and talking to you, and has been for so long, says a lot. I think he'll be just fine and may even be able to leave the hospital wing in a day or so."  
  
"Really? That's excellent!" Sirius almost yelled. He gave Remus a big smile and left the curtained area.  
  
Harry gave Remus another hug, said, "Goodnight," and left as well. Sirius was waiting for him in the corridor and put his arm over his shoulder when he was close enough. Sirius walked him back to the Gryffindor common room in silence. When they reached the portrait hole Sirius turned him and placed a hand on both of Harry's shoulders. Harry looked up into his face.  
  
"Are you going to be okay, Harry?"  
  
Harry nodded quickly, almost too quickly.  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yeah, Sirius, I'm going to be fine."  
  
"I could tell you didn't want to talk to Remus about any of your own problems, Harry. That's okay for now, but he's not going to accept it later on. He'll be able to deal with it, okay?"  
  
Harry nodded, but didn't look so sure.  
  
Sirius sighed, seeing the look on Harry's face and just said, "You know where I am, if you need me."  
  
Harry nodded and Sirius gave him a goodnight hug then walked off down the corridor. Harry sighed deeply to himself and went through the portrait hole. Ron and Hermione were waiting up for him when he arrived.  
  
"How is he?" Ron asked.  
  
Harry shrugged, plopping next to them on a couch. "He was talking and everything, but he looks awful, and he was a little...er...off. He just about went crazy when he couldn't find his pants. I've never seen anyone look as bad as he does though. He looks anorexic and beaten. It's awful."  
  
"Is he going to be alright?" Hermione asked softly.  
  
Again, Harry shrugged, "He thinks so, Pomfrey thinks so, and Sirius thinks so, but I don't think so. I think he'll survive, but I don't think he'll ever be okay." Harry looked like he was going to cry, but didn't. "I'm going to bed, I'm really tired, didn't sleep well last night."  
  
Ron and Hermione said good night to him, but he didn't respond, just walked quickly for the staircase. He didn't respond, because if he had, they would have known how upset he was. They would have been able to tell that he couldn't hold back his tears of worry. When he reached his bed, Harry thought to himself, "So much for not crying at Hogwarts."  
  
He then threw on some pajamas, dried his eyes, and successfully fell asleep. But not for long. After about three hours of sleep Harry woke with a start from another terrible dream of deatheater attacks. This one had been particularly vivid. He knew he wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep for a long time, but didn't want to go bother Sirius. Thus, Harry laid back in bed and stared at the ceiling. He had finally calmed down a bit until he began seeing the visions with his eyes open. Harry was finally, really scared and hopped out of bed and ran as fast as he could towards Sirius's room. He was almost to the door when he passed out in the middle of the hall. Not to be found until hours later when, one, Severus Snape stepped out of his quarters.  
  
~~~~~~  
  
Did you like it? I had fun with this chapter, though I was in severe pain pretty much the entire time I was writing it. This week, I was on vacation from school, and my best friend and I enlisted three of our guy friends to teach us how to snowboard, we're both skiers. Lets just say that there was a whole lot of falling down, and now we both can hardly move. Thus, I had ample time to work on this story, though I dread getting up from it, because it hurts SOOO bad! Anyway, next chapter will be along shortly, don't know when, but I promise not to leave you guys hanging ever again! You deserve more than that, especially if you review!!!! 


	25. Chapter 25

I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long, and I'm amazed at the number of reviews! I figured that this chapter would be what would push me over 400, but you guys managed to give me enough on the last one, that made me so happy! Now, March is a busy month for me, so bear with me! I've been working on this one steadily for a while now, and am quite glad it's done! When I read over the first half, I find it hard to believe that I haven't updated it yet, it feels like I wrote that part ages ago! Anyway, no review reviews because I just can't find the time to do them as well as right the chapters, you understand right? Trust me, it doesn't mean that I don't feel honored by all the reviews. Thanks to each and every one of you!  
  
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Severus Snape bent down over the collapsed boy in the hallway. It was one o'clock in the morning, and Snape couldn't quite figure out what was going on. He knelt down next to the young boy who he had recently come to have a lot more respect for, and rolled him over onto his back. He was taken aback by what he saw. Harry's scar was bright red, and was pulsating.  
  
"What the...?" Snape wondered aloud and then reached out a long finger to touch it. Like earlier he saw flashes of what deatheaters were doing, but this time the images were far worse than before. The deatheaters were rampaging through busy streets, killing in the most inhumane ways. It was like he was right there in front of it all. He actually dodged out of the way when a curse appeared to be headed straight for him. At that point, Snape removed his finger from Harry's forehead.  
  
"Potter," Snape said loudly, shaking Harry's shoulder. "Potter get up!" Harry didn't budge. Snape sighed and ran a pale hand through his long oily hair. Then, he did the only thing he could think of, and pulled the boy off the floor and into a standing position. He threw one of Harry's arms over his shoulders and half dragged, half carried Harry to Sirius's door. Snape knocked very hard a couple of times, and waited impatiently. He knocked a few more times and finally he heard Sirius moving behind it.  
  
Sirius pulled open the door and just gaped out.  
  
"I believe this belongs to you?"  
  
"Harry...what did you do to him, Snape?!" Sirius yelled angrily, moving backwards so Snape could bring Harry inside.  
  
Snape dragged Harry to the couch and then said, "I didn't do this Black, though there were times where I wished I could have. But those times are over now. I just found him collapsed in the hallway like this. He was very close to here, so I imagine he was coming to find you. Look at his scar."  
  
For once Snape wasn't the least bit interested in fighting with Sirius, he was too curious about the situation to do that. Sirius obeyed and looked closely at the scar, to see it, still pulsating rapidly.  
  
"Oh my...Snape, go get Dumbledore, please!" Sirius yelled. Snape nodded his head quickly and then fled the room.  
  
Sirius whipped out his wand and yelled, "Enervate!" Harry slowly opened his eyes, looking terrified.  
  
"Harry, tell me what's going on? What's wrong? Why were you collapsed in the hallway? Why are you so scared?"  
  
Harry's whole body was shaking by this point, and Sirius pulled him into a tight hug to comfort him, and maybe warm him up.  
  
"Talk to me Harry," Sirius pleaded.  
  
Harry didn't say a word, just continued shaking.  
  
Sirius was again drawn to the throbbing scar. Like Snape, he reached out and touched it. He was shocked by what he saw. The damage the deatheaters were doing had worsened tenfold. It was no wonder why Harry looked so scared. Sirius couldn't take anymore, so he removed his fingers and just rocked Harry in a hug until Snape returned with Dumbledore.  
  
"What's going on here, Sirius?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
Sirius shook his head, "I don't know, I got him to wake up, but he won't talk to me, he just looks so scared."  
  
Dumbledore came and sat with Sirius and Harry on the couch, while Snape watched from a distance, ready to be of assistance if necessary. Dumbledore had to practically pry Harry from Sirius's grasp and examined Harry carefully.  
  
"What's happening with his scar?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
"I don't know. I was going to tell you about this yesterday, but the Azkaban thing got in the way. I just found out, but Harry's been having visions of deatheater attacks for months now. They're getting really bad. I can see them if I touch his scar. It's awful. I can't imagine what it must be like for him, seeing that everyday. It looks like it's finally taken a toll on him."  
  
"Indeed," Dumbledore said, stroking his beard thoughtfully. He then reached out and gently touched the throbbing scar as well. He watched the flashes for a good two minutes before he felt the need to pull his finger away.  
  
"Dear God," he muttered. Sirius nodded his agreement with the statement.  
  
"This all seems to happen at once, doesn't it? This problem, Azkaban being disenabled, Hagrid off with the giants..."  
  
"We're sorry Dumbledore, but we thought we should come to you," Sirius said, slightly confused by what Dumbledore was trying to say.  
  
"Yes, and I'm glad you did, but I'm afraid, Sirius, there is nothing we can do about it just yet. I'll need to do a bit of research. You might want to as well. Severus, may I ask you to try to find a potion that may make it easier on him as well?" Dumbledore said this carefully, remembering the feud they had had over the boy just the other night.  
  
Snape quickly and eagerly agreed, surprising Dumbledore and Sirius. Snape then left the room hurriedly.  
  
"In the meantime, Sirius, just try to get through to him, try to make him talk, or sleep if you can get him to calmly. Just be there for him. I'll have someone cover your classes tomorrow, and I think it goes without saying that he'll be excused from classes."  
  
Sirius nodded. "Thank you, Albus."  
  
"I'm sorry I can't be of more assistance."  
  
Sirius just shrugged and said goodnight. Dumbledore then left the room.  
  
Turning his attention back to Harry, Sirius noticed that he had gone into something of a trance, he was blinking rapidly.  
  
"Harry! What's going on?!" Sirius yelled, shaking him slightly. Harry stopped blinking, looked directly into Sirius's face and tears began streaming down his cheeks. Sirius hugged him tight again and rocked him back and forth.  
  
"Please talk to me, Harry, please." Sirius repeated over and over again.  
  
For a while, Harry didn't, but once his tears ran dry he did. "I'm so scared," he whispered.  
  
"Why, Harry? Why are you scared?"  
  
"What I see, I can't escape it anymore Sirius. It used to be that it went away when I had my eyes open. I only saw these...awful things when my eyes were closed, but now...now they never disappear. I see them with my eyes open, I see them now."  
  
"Oh God, Harry. I'm so sorry. I wish I could make them go away."  
  
"Yeah, but you can't," Harry muttered bitterly.  
  
"No, I can't," Sirius whispered, like he had failed. They sat for a while, Sirius stroking Harry's hair gently as Harry shook in terror. Innocent person after innocent person dying before his eyes. He was having a very difficult time dealing with it.  
  
"Harry, do you know what made you collapse in the hallway?"  
  
Harry shook his head, "I guess the visions just took a lot out of me, is all. I was running to you, and-and I just collapsed, I really don't know why it happened. But I'm glad Snape brought me here."  
  
"Me too," Sirius said. "Me too. Why don't you try going back to sleep Harry? I know it'll be hard, but it'll help I'm sure."  
  
Harry nodded and shut his eyes. Sirius had an arm around him and slowly rocked him back and forth rhythmically. Slowly Harry seemed to drift off, but at the same time his hand made it up to his head and he began rubbing his scar, hard. Sirius cautiously grabbed hold of Harry's wrist to bring it down, but the action made Harry jump, nearly off the couch. Any sleep Harry was nearing was long gone.  
  
Sirius sighed helplessly and then apologized for scaring Harry, who looked quite embarrassed but still very shaken up. Sirius knew that Harry was not going to be sleeping, at least not well, for a very long time. Thus, he made idle talk to take Harry's mind off of what he was seeing. They talked about the past, Sirius speaking most of the time and Harry simply trying to focus on his voice rather than the images floating before his eyes.  
  
The conversation turned to the future. Sirius teased Harry about one day finding a girl and maybe getting married and having kids. Harry seemed tense about anything concerning the future, but had fun discussing it anyway. He even mentioned his little crush on Cho Chang to Sirius, who told him a story about her from one of his classes. Harry got a little curious as the conversation progressed, and turned the tables on Sirius.  
  
"What about you? Think you'll ever get married?" Harry asked innocently. Sirius had had a brilliant smile on his face as he was finally getting a positive response from Harry, but it disappeared immediately with the question.  
  
"I don't know Harry, I hope so, but we'll have to wait and see," Sirius said bluntly.  
  
"Well, are you looking?" Harry inquired further.  
  
"Harry," Sirius sighed. "I really haven't had time to think about a wife, you know with the trials over the summer and all. I don't think I'm ready to let another person into my life, what with the tragedies, you, Remus and I always seem to get. Maybe when things settle down I'll start looking, but not yet."  
  
Harry nodded but didn't say a word, and they were again left in complete silence, Sirius contemplating his non-existent love life. This wasn't good, however, as it left Harry to concentrate on his visions.  
  
Sirius took no notice of it, however, and just continued thinking, completely lost in his own little world. That is until Harry whispered, "Oh God."  
  
Immediately, Sirius snapped out of it and looked into Harry's contorted face. "What is it bud? What happened?"  
  
A few tears slipped down his face and his lip trembled, "Hagrid." That was all he said, and Sirius knew immediately what must have happened. Harry let his head drop forward and Sirius reached out to hold it up with the palms of his hands. Tears streamed down Harry's face like rain drops and Sirius brushed them away with his thumbs. They continued to fall, and sobs soon followed. Harry was shaking so hard with the sobs that Sirius could no longer hold his head up. He pulled Harry into a tight hug so that Harry's chin rested on Sirius's shoulder. Sirius held one hand over Harry's back firmly, while the other hand cupped the back of his godson's head.  
  
Sirius didn't say a word to Harry, just continued to hold him as he cried, occasionally stroking Harry's hair for comfort. He was upset too, but tried his hardest to keep his grief inside for the time being, for Harry. Over the couple of months that Sirius had been teaching he had gotten close to Hagrid again, like when he was at school. He couldn't believe Hagrid was really gone. Dumbledore had said earlier that Hagrid had just gone to Giant country, probably to try to convince them to join the light side, the dark must have gotten in the way.  
  
After a good fifteen minutes of crying Harry's sobs slowed and he just made small whimpering sounds every now and then. Sirius pushed Harry away gently and looked him in the face. Harry looked positively miserable. His face was streaked with tears that had finally stopped flowing. Sirius again used his thumbs to wipe all the tears away.  
  
"Harry, buddy, I know you're not going to want to, but I need you to tell me exactly what you saw." Sirius said gently.  
  
Harry nodded sadly and leaned back into the couch. "Hagrid, he...he was just walking down some dirt road...somewhere. Deatheaters surrounded him. They tortured him for a bit...with-with Cruciatus. Then one of them-he-he- he did the Avada Kadavra." Harry's lips began to tremble again, but he didn't let another tear fall.  
  
Sirius rested a hand on Harry's shoulder as Harry replayed the tragic event in his mind. Harry continued to look sad for a while, but the look soon changed. First he looked a little scared and worried and then he looked disgusted.  
  
"I'm going to be sick," he muttered, before his whole face flinched and he dry heaved once. Sirius acted fast and grabbed a bowl he had used a couple of nights ago for popcorn. He emptied the contents onto the floor and set it directly in front of Harry, just in time. Harry vomited into the bowl until there was nothing left in him.  
  
The two sat in silence for a moment, Harry staring into the mess inside the bowl.  
  
"Harry...what made you sick?"  
  
"Some-someone just-just got g-gutted, Sirius. It was so disgusting...I- I've never seen anything like that." Tears again formed in his eyes. This was turning out to be the worst day Harry had ever experienced. Worse than the torture he had been through at the Dursleys, worse than the many times he had almost died. This just took the cake and Harry again couldn't help but fall apart.  
  
Sirius took the bowl of vomit and set it on a table near by before embracing Harry yet again and rocking him back and forth.  
  
"Make it stop, Sirius. Please make it stop," Harry whispered.  
  
"I'll try buddy, I'll try. Dumbledore's trying too, and even Snape. It'll get better soon Harry. It has to."  
  
Harry nodded gently and continued to cry. When his tears again ran dry, Sirius didn't immediately let Harry go. Rather, he bent his head down so it was right next to Harry's ear and he whispered, "We need Dumbledore Harry. We need to tell him everything you just saw today. Alright?"  
  
Harry pulled back and gave Sirius a look that told him flatly that he didn't want to go anywhere or talk to anyone but Sirius.  
  
"You have to do it Harry."  
  
He looked down and sighed, but then nodded.  
  
"Lets go then," Sirius said rising to his feet. He quickly took care of the bowl of vomit before guiding Harry out of the room. It was still quite early, almost six o'clock, and not a single student, teacher or ghost saw Harry and Sirius as they made there way to Dumbledore's office.  
  
Professor Dumbledore was there when they arrived, sitting at his desk, already researching Harry's case. He let them in immediately and asked what else could have possibly happened since he had last seen them. He looked at Harry's tear swollen eyes and knew that it must be quite serious.  
  
Harry looked down before answering Dumbledore's questions. "You know about- about the visions I've been having, right professor?"  
  
Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"Well, after-after you left I was talking to Sirius, and-and they were still happening, only this time, I knew the person who I saw die."  
  
Dumbledore's jaw dropped, he knew he was in for a tragedy. "Bless my soul, who was it Mr. Potter?"  
  
Harry looked down and took a deep breath. "Hagrid," he whispered in a soft voice.  
  
Dumbledore breathed sharply when he heard that. Tears sprung to his eyes and made them shimmer, but he let none of them fall.  
  
"Are you sure Harry? Absolutely sure?" Dumbledore said edgily.  
  
Harry nodded and pursed his lips, trying to prevent his tears to fall again as well.  
  
"I thank you for bringing me this information. I'll need some time to deal with the consequences of such matters," Dumbledore informed them in a strong voice. Harry knew it was just an act though. Professor Dumbledore loved Hagrid like a brother, anyone could see that. He wanted time alone to grieve, and Harry for one was more than willing to let him have that time. Seeing the headmaster cry would not do Harry one bit of good.  
  
Sirius and Harry both stood and left the room.  
  
"Do you want to go back to my room and try to sleep, Harry, or do you want to go visit Remus?"  
  
"Visit Remus," Harry said without a second thought. The two walked quickly to the hospital wing where they found Remus already up and having a bit of an argument with Madam Pomfrey.  
  
"Mr. Lupin! You can't get out of bed! You haven't the strength!"  
  
"Poppy, I've had to go to the bathroom in very indecent ways for over three months, now I'm not going to go in your little 'bed pan', you can just forget that!" Remus tried to yell this, but his voice was still extremely hoarse and it was more like an angry whisper.  
  
Madam Pomfrey was about to argue back but Sirius cut in.  
  
"Rem, I don't think it's a good idea for you to go walking around. You're not strong enough."  
  
"Sirius," Remus sighed. "I can do it, I'll be fine, I'm not going in that thing!"  
  
"Rem, you're never going to get better if you don't learn to cooperate, trust me, listen to Madam Pomfrey."  
  
"No, Sirius, don't you understand?" Remus whispered. "You know what it's like, I'm out, I want to do things the normal way now." There were tears of frustration and embarrassment in his eyes.  
  
Sirius sighed as he looked at his friend. He turned to the nurse, "What if I help him?"  
  
She shrugged in utter annoyance, if her patients weren't going to listen to her she could care less what they did.  
  
Before he dealt with Remus he turned to Harry who still looked very upset. "Sit tight bud, I'll take care of Moony and then the three of us will have a nice long talk."  
  
Harry nodded and started gnawing on his bottom lip. He watched as Sirius pulled back Remus's blankets and slid his legs over the side of the bed. He pulled Remus up into a sitting position and dragged one of Remus's arms over his shoulder. He then pulled Remus to his feet.  
  
Immediately Remus swayed and almost fell flat on his face, but Sirius managed to keep him standing. Sirius wrapped one arm strongly around Remus's frail waist and took slow steps so Remus could keep up. Remus was extremely wobbly, but they eventually made it to the small bathroom. Sirius helped Remus through everything and then repeated the process to bring him back to his bed.  
  
Once he was settled back in bed, Remus beamed at Sirius and said, "Thank you, Sirius, I just couldn't do it the other way, you know."  
  
Sirius nodded, "Yeah, I know."  
  
Remus was grinning like mad, but soon realized he was the only one. Sirius was actually quite surprised that Remus seemed so happy so soon after Azkaban, he was doing remarkably well. But after the previous night Sirius couldn't bring himself to be as happy as his friend.  
  
"What's wrong with you guys? And what are you doing up at this time? I don't know what time it is, but I know it's pretty early..."  
  
Sirius sighed deeply and looked at Harry pointedly, an expression telling Harry that he was going to tell Remus everything. Harry nodded sadly and looked at his hands.  
  
"It's time for us to tell you what's been going on. We've told you the good, now it's time for the bad. Are you ready for it?" Sirius asked in a very stern voice, sounding like he was in teacher mode.  
  
Remus looked worried, but nodded his head anyway. Sirius sat on the edge of Remus's bed and motioned for Harry to come over as well. Remus squeezed Harry's hand when he reached him. Harry smiled at him, but it wasn't as warm a smile as it usually was, and this alone worried Remus. He immediately looked to Sirius for the answer.  
  
"So far you know that I'm a teacher now and Harry's quidditch captain. Sounds like life's all honky-dory, huh?"  
  
Remus nodded and Sirius shook his head.  
  
"It's not Rem."  
  
"Why?" Remus whispered.  
  
Sirius sighed. "Since...how long, Harry? Before you even left Rem, Harry's been having visions of what Voldemort has been doing. I just found out a couple of days ago, they're just now getting much worse. Harry can't escape this, and starting tonight he's had to see them even when his eyes are wide open."  
  
Remus looked at Harry shocked and shakily squeezed Harry's hand again. Harry just looked at him with sad eyes.  
  
"Is that all?" Remus whispered, knowing full well that it wasn't.  
  
Sirius shook his head to confirm this. "Last night, actually this morning, Harry saw, witnessed...he saw deatheaters attack, and kill...Hagrid."  
  
Remus's jaw dropped open and he looked with pity at Harry, who was chewing on his lip hard.  
  
"Harry..." Remus croaked reaching a hand up to put on his shoulder. Harry shook his head and scrunched up his face. He couldn't help it though, and he started to cry for the umpteenth time that morning. Remus had a hard time, but he managed to get his feeble arms around Harry and he managed to pull him against him in a soft hug. Sirius rubbed Harry's back for comfort as well. The three sat like that for a while until Harry's tears finally stopped again.  
  
Remus released him and then Sirius took him by the shoulders. Harry looked into his face with pure misery and Sirius shook his head. "It's time for you to finally get some rest, buddy."  
  
"How?" Harry muttered.  
  
"We'll see. Harry you stay with Remus, I'll be right back." Harry nodded sadly and watched Sirius until he disappeared from sight. He turned his attention back to Remus who was looking at him with pity, this made Harry sigh deeply. Remus just got out of Azkaban, Harry should be pitying him, not vice versa.  
  
Luckily, Sirius came back quickly with a glass filled with some kind of fluid.  
  
Harry looked at him curiously.  
  
"Dreamless sleep potion Harry. You'll still see everything, I imagine, you just won't know you're seeing it. Or I hope that's how it'll work. You willing to try it?"  
  
Harry nodded eagerly. Truth was he couldn't remember a time when he was that tired.  
  
Sirius motioned for Harry to get on to the bed next to Remus's and Harry followed his orders. Sirius tucked the blankets around him and then helped him down the potion. Harry was asleep in moments. Sirius stood there for a while stroking Harry's hair so it lay flat for a few seconds before springing up again and then turned back to his best friend.  
  
"So," Remus mumbled, "Is that all I should know?"  
  
"Pretty much. We've been doing really well until about a week ago, then there was what we just told you and a couple run ins with Snape."  
  
"What kind of run ins with Snape?"  
  
"Same as the past years, just a bit worse. But something happened between those two, I think. Snape found Harry passed out in the hallway and rather than giving him a detention and taking away points he brought Harry to me, and has even offered to help get him better."  
  
"Really?" Remus muttered.  
  
Sirius nodded. And then shook his head, as if he had just remembered his manners. "How are you feeling, Rem? Are you going to be alright?"  
  
Remus nodded. "I'm feeling much better, until I think about Azkaban, and now all this...but I think I'll be just fine, Pomfrey said she may let me out in a couple of days, so long as I'm under somebody's 'supervision'."  
  
"I'll be your supervisor Moony," Sirius joked.  
  
"Thanks Sir," Remus whispered sincerely. He then yawned very deeply  
  
"You tired?"  
  
Remus shook his head. "I want to know everything."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Everything, tell me everything that's happened. How did Harry get so good at walking again? What did you guys do the rest of the summer? How's that dog I got for Harry, what's his name?"  
  
Sirius smiled, time to relive the good stuff. A couple of hours and many laughs later Sirius had relayed nearly all the events of the summer to Remus. Sirius thought it was all going to end happily like that, but he was of course, very wrong.  
  
For a while Remus held a steady, wide smile, but slowly the smile faded into a frown, and then a grimace like he was in pain.  
  
"Hey, Moony, what's wrong?" Sirius asked, noticing the sudden changes.  
  
Remus shrugged, but there were tears in his eyes. "It's just-I missed it all. You and Harry went through so much, you bonded, and I missed it." His voice was tight as he said this.  
  
Sirius nodded and tried to think of what the best thing to say was. He decided on the truth. "You're right, Moony, you did miss it all. But its not like you'll never be able to make it up. You have the rest of your life and his life to make up for the time you've missed. I don't think you missed anything critical."  
  
Remus nodded but looked skeptical and still very upset.  
  
"Moony, trust me, everything's going to be fine."  
  
Again Remus nodded and then swallowed hard.  
  
Sirius knew tears were inevitable, so he pulled Remus into his arms before they started flowing. Remus lowered his head to Sirius's shoulder and let it loose.  
  
"It's okay, Moony, let it out. You're going to be fine, I'll be sure of that. Nothings going to happen to you, or me, or Harry. We're going to all be happy again, like we were for a while over the summer. You'll see, it will all work out in the end. I promise Moony."  
  
Remus just shook his head in disagreement. "It won't be okay, Sirius, it won't. I'm never going to be right again...never. I can feel it. Already...everything I do I have fear about doing, and I don't even do anything! I feel like I'm-like I'm insane Sirius. What good am I to anyone insane?"  
  
"You're not insane Rem, you're not. You're talking to me right now like any person who had just come out of Azkaban would talk. You'll be back to normal in no time. Stop doubting yourself."  
  
"There's nothing left to feel but doubt in this world," Remus whispered in the most depressed voice Sirius had ever heard.  
  
"Yes there is Remus, there's always hope. Always. Don't give up on hope," Sirius said eagerly, trying to get through to his friend. Remus didn't respond again, he just continued to cry on his best friend's shoulder. Sirius wasn't sure when Remus stopped crying, as it took so long, but eventually, Remus's quiet voice said, "You never answered one question, Sir."  
  
"What's that Moony?"  
  
"What about the puppy?"  
  
Sirius pulled away from Remus and looked squarely at him, a small smile dancing across his face. "That dog quickly became a vital part of our little family. You couldn't have thought of a better gift, Rem."  
  
"So Harry liked...likes him?"  
  
Sirius nodded, "and I do too."  
  
"What's his name?" Remus asked.  
  
"Well, Harry wanted the dog to be a constant reminder of you, so he decided to name him after you, but not your first name, or your last. He picked your middle name, before he really knew what it was. The dogs name is James, but we call him J, just like you always say J instead of James when you tell your real name."  
  
Remus was now smiling contently. Sirius punched him lightly on the arm and said quietly, "You're looking tired Moony, why don't you get some rest."  
  
"I guess you're right, I am tired. Are you going to stay here?"  
  
Sirius nodded. "I may even try to get a little rest myself, and that would never happen back in my room, worrying about the two of you."  
  
Remus closed his eyes and nodded slightly. Sirius pulled up the blankets on his friend and sat watching him drift off for a while. He was about to go take a bed next to Harry's when Dumbledore approached. Sirius sighed deeply, knowing full well that nothing about this talk was going to be enjoyable.  
  
"How are they Sirius?"  
  
"There both okay, I guess, considering. Harry's going to take a while, but I think Remus will be back on his feet in no time. I just wonder-what's going to happen to him Albus? He was sentenced to a term in Azkaban, and he didn't finish it. What are they going to do with him?"  
  
Dumbledore sighed and said, "Something I have often wondered myself. For now, I have contacted the ministry and told them that Remus is here, and will be guarded carefully. I have a feeling I'll be able to get him off, he has nothing more to worry about, except getting well again."  
  
"Good," Sirius muttered. He glanced at Albus curiously and then asked the other thing that was on his mind. "Have you heard anything more on Hagrid?"  
  
Dumbledore visibly tensed, and Sirius almost regretted having asked that question, but curiosity had gotten the better of him.  
  
"What Harry saw did indeed really happen. A wizard came across Hagrid's body earlier today. He's gone."  
  
Sirius nodded sadly. "He was a good man, it's too bad everything has to end this way."  
  
Dumbledore looked up sharply. "Everything is not going to end this way, Sirius. Things ARE going to get better. I'll make them better, or die trying."  
  
Sirius nodded grimly. "Me too."  
  
"Glad to see I'm not alone in this."  
  
Sirius nodded again, but remained silent.  
  
"I just came by to check on these two, and will go tend to business. The school needs to know that Hagrid's gone, and I must set out to find a new Care of Magical Creatures professor."  
  
Dumbledore's voice was strong, but it dripped with sadness. Sirius truly couldn't figure out how Dumbledore could remain as calm and strong as he was being now. He watched as Dumbledore swiftly left the room, just as stately as he had entered it.  
  
Sirius shook his head with a sigh and slumped into a chair between Remus's and Harry's beds. He ran a hand through his thick black hair and then dropped his wide open hand over his face. For a while he sat like that, absolutely still and then he slowly rubbed his face, trying to rub away all the stress he felt. It took every fiber of strength in Sirius not to break down like a baby, as it felt like the world was on his shoulders, but he managed to resist it. He needed to stay strong. For Harry, Remus and even Dumbledore, Sirius needed to be a rock. Because, for some unknown reason everyone needed Sirius's help.  
  
~~~~  
  
Cheesy ending, huh? Next chappy there will be a funeral, and then the action starts happening. Real action, not just sadness, I swear. This means the stories nearing its end, and I will decide then whether or not to make a sequel. Would it really make sense to do so with the new book coming out so soon? Give me your thoughts, please, on that and this chapter. 


	26. Chapter 26

Hey all! I finally got through my busy weeks and have an update for ya. These past two weeks were Hell, let me tell you! I've got another one just like it coming up, but the next chapter will most likely be out before that. If not, I'm terribly sorry cuz there's a nice cliffy at the end of this chapter, but I think I'm a pretty predictable person, so you should be able to figure out what's gonna happen! Anyhow, please review, cuz I really want to hear what y'all have to say! By the way, I'm no longer doing review reviews because they take more time to write than the story, but I do value and love each and everyone of you!  
  
And, I see most of you want me to do a sequel, but I don't think that will happen, I have plans for this story which will basically not allow for one. I think I will write another one though, probably Sirius oriented again, but I don't have any real plans yet. It won't be started until after OOP comes out though. So watch out for it this summer!!!!  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Sirius fell asleep in the hospital chair he had been resting in, and slept for nearly five hours. When he woke up he looked from side to side and found that Remus and Harry were both still sound asleep. Sirius sighed and again rubbed his face hard with the palms of his hands. He slowly stood, stretched and left to use the bathroom. After he went and washed his hands he threw water over his face and then took some to drink. The water helped wake him up so he could think clearly. Thinking only made him hurt, however.  
  
Sirius was stressed. There was no way around that fact. He was worried sick about Harry's condition, as well as Remus's, though he believed Dumbledore in that he would be alright. But the world was again changing, changing in a way that made butterflies flutter like mad in Sirius's stomach.  
  
He walked out of the bathroom to find that Harry had woken up. He had been asleep for a good seven hours, and Sirius was happy to see that the rest had had a positive affect on him.  
  
"Hey Bud, how you feeling?"  
  
Harry smiled at him genuinely. "Much better, Sirius, the visions went away."  
  
Sirius did a double take. "They went away, you mean, you don't see anything? Even with your eyes shut?"  
  
Harry nodded. "It's great!"  
  
Sirius didn't look so sure. "That's good, but it could also be bad. Voldemort may be planning something."  
  
Harry shrugged. "As long as I don't have to watch it."  
  
Sighing, Sirius ran his hand through his hair and looked down, not saying what he was thinking, that Voldemort was probably planning an attack against Harry, he wouldn't have to watch it per say, rather he was going to have to participate in it.  
  
"How's Remus?" Harry asked.  
  
"He's doing better, I think he's going to do fine. I told him all about J, he's proud of him I think. Warning, though Harry, he thinks he missed out on too much while he was gone, he's probably going to try to make that up. What about you, Harry? How are you, really, I mean with, you know, Hagrid?"  
  
Harry looked down and shrugged. "I'll be okay," he mumbled. Sirius rubbed his back gently and heard Harry sigh.  
  
"Why does everything have to be so hard?"  
  
"I don't know Harry, I once heard someone say that without suffering there'd be no compassion, but I don't buy that. Some of the best people in the world haven't suffered more than a minute in their lives. But look at you, Harry. You've suffered greatly, and you're an amazing kid. Someday, I know it, you're going to be a normal, happy person. You'll always be the famous Harry Potter, but you'll be happy in your own skin. I can feel it."  
  
Harry smiled at his godfather, for some reason believing him, not passing it off as a pipe dream as he usually did.  
  
"Is there anything new going on, anything I should know?" Harry asked.  
  
Sirius shook his head, "I talked to Dumbledore, it's been confirmed about Hagrid, and there'll be a funeral in a couple of days." Sirius stopped here and looked at Harry.  
  
His eyes were glassed over, but it didn't seem like he was going to cry. So Sirius continued, "We're all quite sure now that Remus is going to make it, it'll take a while, but he'll be okay."  
  
"Good," Harry said, "and I don't mind him wanting to make up on missed time at all, we have a lot of catching up to do."  
  
"Yes you do, we all do."  
  
"Is he able to walk around at all yet? Have you let him try?"  
  
"I've helped him out of bed three more times, and he seems stronger each time, but I don't know. He's just going to have to take it slow, like you did, Harry."  
  
Harry nodded and they sat in silence for a minute before Harry said in a serious tone, "Do you mind if I leave? I want to go tell Ron and Hermione about...Hagrid. I think they should know before everyone else, you know because they know-knew him better, like me."  
  
"Are you sure you want to be the one to do that, Harry?"  
  
Harry nodded, but he didn't look so sure.  
  
"Do you want me to go with you?"  
  
Harry considered it for a second but then shook his head. "I want to do this myself, Sirius."  
  
Sirius gave a small side smile and rested his hand on Harry's head, and said, "Good luck, bud."  
  
"Thanks," Harry said and left the hospital wing.  
  
It was late in the day, nearing sunset and classes for the rest of the school were over. It was almost time for dinner, but Harry wasn't hungry, and was sure the others, even Ron, wouldn't be too hungry after all they had heard. Harry found them studying in the common room.  
  
"Harry, where have you been? You missed all your classes!" Hermione shrieked.  
  
"I...er...had a problem last night, and had to see Sirius. I'm better now, but I have something to tell you both. Why don't we go down to the lake?" There were other people around, and Harry didn't want to spread the news throughout the entire school.  
  
"Okay, mate," Ron replied, looking curious and worried at the same time. Harry didn't look like he had great news to tell them.  
  
The trio made it quickly out of the castle, and then sat in a row in front of the lake, watching the giant squid lift one of his tentacles every now and then, creating ripples that seemed to never end.  
  
Harry was quiet for a while, and just stared out at the lake, his eyes glassy as earlier. He was chewing hard on his lip.  
  
"What's going on Harry?" Ron asked tentatively.  
  
Harry sighed deeply and then stood in front of his friends. "I haven't told you guys this, but I've been having visions of what Voldemort's been up to, and it's not pretty. I've seen more people die before my eyes than I can count."  
  
Hermione let out a dry sob, and then choked out, "What do you mean? You've been seeing Voldemort kill people?"  
  
Harry nodded, "Voldemort and deatheaters."  
  
"Oh my God, Harry that's awful!"  
  
"Why didn't you tell us mate? Maybe, maybe we could have helped you?"  
  
"There was nothing you could do...I didn't tell Sirius until two nights ago. I thought I should keep it to myself."  
  
Hermione swallowed hard, "So...why are you telling us now, Harry?"  
  
Harry looked down before answering, gathering his thoughts. There was a lump in his throat when he spoke again, "Last night...or this morning...I saw-I saw Hagrid...Hagrid's dead."  
  
Absolute silence followed this. A tear ran slowly down Hermione's face, but Ron broke the silence with a shrill laugh. "Very funny Harry, Hagrid's right in his hut, probably making something we'll never want to eat."  
  
Harry couldn't believe this, "Ron, I'm serious. He's gone...they killed him. Dumbledore-Dumbledore confirmed it. I'm not just playing around!" Harry sounded pissed, and a tear coursed slowly down his face. Ron then knew that Harry was serious.  
  
"Oh God...but..." Ron broke off, not knowing what else to say. Harry watched as Hermione began to sob, and then tears started rolling down Ron's face as well. Harry already had his crying time, but after seeing his friends like that he couldn't help himself, he started crying again too. Hermione stood and wrapped her arm around Harry, and then pulled Ron over and put her other arm around him. They were soon comforting each other in a group hug, all crying their hearts out. No one knew how long they stood there, but they were soon interrupted by a very unwanted drawl.  
  
"Oh how touching, a three way," came the all too familiar voice of Draco Malfoy. Ron broke away and quickly dried his eyes, as did Hermione, but Harry was beyond caring.  
  
"Go to Hell Malfoy," Harry murmured, his voice shaky.  
  
"Maybe someday, but not today."  
  
Hermione shook her head, not believing Malfoy had just said that.  
  
"What are you babies blubbering over, anyway?"  
  
"Something you'll never have to feel, Malfoy, the pain of losing someone we love. All you can feel is hatred, so you don't have to worry about such a thing!" Harry cut in bitingly. Malfoy actually looked taken aback by that answer, but soon recovered.  
  
"Don't act like you know me, Potter. You couldn't dream of knowing me!"  
  
"I wouldn't want to," Harry yelled bitterly.  
  
Harry turned back towards the lake, when he heard a swish of robes. He turned to see Malfoy raise his wand high in the air. He was going to duck, but didn't have enough time as he heard the words come out of Malfoy's mouth.  
  
"Avada Kedav..." Harry flinched waiting for it, and he heard Hermione shrieking. 'This is it,' he thought, 'this is the end for the famous Harry Potter.'  
  
He soon realized, however, that he was very much wrong. The last syllable of the deadly spell was never spoken. Harry looked up to see that Malfoy had been stunned. He breathed a sigh of relief and looked up to see Sirius, 100 yards away, running towards him. Harry shaking like mad, sat down on the ground and waited for Sirius to reach him, all the while Ron was trying to comfort a hysterical Hermione.  
  
Sirius finally made his way to Harry, and knelt in front of him, huffing and puffing from lack of breath. "What happened?" he asked urgently.  
  
Harry was shaking still, but he responded calmly, "Malfoy picked a fight, and I kind of encouraged it...I told him he didn't know what it was to feel love, and he attacked me...he-he tried to kill me."  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
Harry nodded, but he was still trembling. Sirius hugged him and rubbed his back, trying to calm his fear. He looked up at Ron and Hermione, who had calmed down a bit, and motioned them to come closer. They did and he pulled away from Harry.  
  
"Hey, bud, go up to the castle with your friends, go to my room, and get some food. The last thing you three need is to be surrounded by people right now. I'm going to deal with him," Sirius said, pointing at Malfoy's fallen form.  
  
Harry was still shaking, but he nodded and managed to get to his feet. Hermione put her arm around him and they all walked up to the castle.  
  
Sirius then turned to Malfoy. He shot a binding spell at him and ropes tied his feet and arms together. He then levitated him into the castle to Dumbledore's office, luckily meeting no student or teacher on his way.  
  
Dumbledore saw Sirius coming, and sighed. "What now, Sirius?" Dumbledore moaned, in a voice very unlike him.  
  
"Sorry Dumbledore, but this one couldn't be avoided." Sirius set Malfoy on the floor. "Malfoy tried to kill Harry."  
  
"What? A student tried to kill another student?"  
  
Sirius nodded sternly.  
  
"That's ridiculous Sirius."  
  
"Dumbledore, I'm not lying, go ask Harry, he's very shaken up about it. Ron and Hermione were there to, they can attest to it."  
  
Dumbledore put his hands over his face and sighed. "Well then, Mr. Malfoy will be expelled."  
  
"Good."  
  
"Is that all Sirius?"  
  
Sirius nodded, "Thank you Albus, and I'm sorry, that you have to deal with all this. It's too much at once. I don't know how you do it."  
  
Dumbledore shook his head, "I don't either."  
  
Sirius waved and left the room. His initial thought was to go back to his room and see how the kids were holding up, but he thought they might be needing some time alone. Thus, he went back to sit by Remus's bedside. He was surprised to see that Remus was awake when he got there, as he hadn't been asleep that long.  
  
Remus yawned as he saw Sirius, then smiled. "Hey Sirius, what's going on?"  
  
Sirius sighed and went to sit on the edge of his friends bed.  
  
"There was just an assassination attempt on Harry."  
  
Remus started to laugh slightly until he saw that Sirius was serious.  
  
"How...who?"  
  
"Malfoy, by the lake, I think he was going to do the killing curse, but I haven't asked Harry yet."  
  
"Oh my God...why?"  
  
"Usual Harry-Malfoy bicker, I guess it got under Malfoy's skin more than anyone knew."  
  
"What's going to happen to him?"  
  
"Dumbledore's expelling him. His fathers going to be down here so fast..." Sirius shook his head.  
  
"How's Harry?"  
  
"He's fine, just a little shaken up. He's with Ron and Hermione right now...Did I tell you his visions stopped?"  
  
"They did? That's great...or maybe not."  
  
"That's what I thought, but for now, we're looking at it as a good thing. Harry needs it to be a good thing, that's for sure."  
  
Remus nodded in agreement. "I wish I could go see him..."  
  
"Who, Harry?"  
  
"Yeah, I want to get out of this room, but Poppy isn't going to let me out for at least a week."  
  
A glint of mischief formed in Sirius's eye, Remus didn't miss it.  
  
"What...?"  
  
"Poppy doesn't have to know."  
  
"You mean, you're going to smuggle me out?" Remus asked in an excited whisper. He sounded like a third year Marauder again.  
  
Sirius put his finger to his lips and nodded, acting the same age. He pulled back the blankets on Remus's bed and got him into a sitting position. He left Remus's side for a minute to make sure Madam Pomfrey wasn't around and then ran back to the bed. He threw Remus's arm over his shoulders and helped him out of the bed, and then they made quickly to the teachers wing, going back ways so no one would see Remus.  
  
They crept up to the door and Sirius was about to open it when they heard footsteps coming down the corridor.  
  
"Shit!" Sirius exclaimed and threw the door open as fast as he could and dragged Remus inside. He then slammed it shut again. Ron and Hermione just about jumped out of their skin at the racquet they caused. "Sorry."  
  
They nodded but neither said a word. Sirius brought Remus to the sitting area and dropped him off at a chair. He then noticed Harry lying on the floor, fast asleep.  
  
"Is he okay?" Sirius asked concerned.  
  
"I think so," Hermione replied.  
  
"We were just talking and everything, and he just dozed off. I think today was just a bit too much for him."  
  
Sirius nodded, "Poor kid. I'll bring him to the bedroom." Sirius levitated Harry slowly through the room and disappeared behind a corner. At this point Remus, Ron and Hermione were left alone, the first time they had seen each other since Harry's birthday party so long ago.  
  
"Hey, Remus," Ron said nervously. "Er...how are you?"  
  
"I'm getting better, Ron thanks, come give me a hug," Remus said, spreading his arms. Ron stepped up to him and did as he was asked.  
  
"How are you doing?" he asked.  
  
Ron shrugged and then mumbled, "I'm doing alright, not great, but definitely better than Harry."  
  
Remus nodded sadly and then turned to Hermione who also gave him a hug.  
  
"And how are you?"  
  
"Better than the boys, but...no one's good these days."  
  
"Still top of the class?"  
  
Hermione smiled and nodded.  
  
"I would expect nothing less."  
  
The three then began talking about things that were completely un- depressing and tried to forget the current situations.  
  
Sirius on the other hand was having a much different conversation. The minute he had set Harry down on his bed Harry flew awake. He was terrified for a moment, but the minute his eyes fell on Sirius he calmed down.  
  
"Sirius," he sighed.  
  
"You okay bud?"  
  
Harry began to nod but then shook his head. "I thought I was safe here at least...I thought the only person I had to worry about was Voldemort, but apparently I can't even go outside anymore." There was anger in his voice.  
  
"Malfoy's being expelled," Sirius told him, hoping that would settle him down a bit.  
  
"Is that supposed to make me feel better? Now he's going to hate me even more. I doubt that this will be the last time he tries to kill me, Sirius. I'm number one on his hit list, just like on Voldemort's."  
  
"Harry, don't worry, I'm not going to let them get you. You're going to be safe. You survived today, you'll survive more."  
  
"I survived today because you were there. There's going to be a time where you're not there, there always will be those times, what's going to happen then? If I can't fend for myself then what's going to happen?"  
  
Sirius was quiet for a while, not wanting to accept that he couldn't always be there for Harry, but finally voiced what he was thinking, "I don't know..."  
  
Harry just nodded, his face tight with anger, anger not at Sirius, but at the world.  
  
"Can we forget about that for a while, though? Remus is in the other room, he wanted to see you so I helped him down. Do you want me to bring him in here?"  
  
"No, I'll go out there. Are Ron and Hermione still here?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Good, there's something I want to tell them," Harry said, climbing off of the bed. He still sounded insanely angry and Sirius was a little worried about what was going to happen out there. He wished with all his might that Harry had never woken up, but that would have made things too easy.  
  
"Hey Remus," Harry said as he walked out, but he didn't look at Remus once. He stood directly in front of his two friends who were sitting on the couch in front of him and glared menacingly.  
  
Ron and Hermione were taken aback. They were speechless.  
  
"I want you two to leave, and never come back. Forget the path we took to get here. I don't want to be your friend anymore, and would appreciate it if you left right now."  
  
Ron and Hermione were now gaping at him. Ron looked slightly angry and Hermione looked like she was going to cry.  
  
"C'mon mate, what did we do? Why don't you want to be our friend? I don't understand!"  
  
"You don't need an explanation. Just forget about me, forget everything we've been through, because it all ends here!" Harry yelled angrily.  
  
Tears rolled down Hermione's face, and Ron's turned beat red. He grabbed a hold of Hermione's hand and dragged her to her feet and out of the room. Sirius and Remus watched them go with their mouths agape. Harry just crossed his arms over his chest and flopped down on the couch where they had been sitting. He didn't look happy, but he looked strangely relieved. The room was deadly quiet for a second. Sirius was still standing in the doorway from his bedroom and Remus was in the same chair. They just looked at each other uncomfortably. That had been very unexpected. Slowly Sirius walked towards the couch and sat next to Harry.  
  
"Umm...would you care to explain that Harry."  
  
Harry shot a side long glance at Sirius and then shook his head.  
  
It had gotten to the point where Sirius expected Harry to always tell him whatever he wanted, so this took him a bit off guard.  
  
"Okay..." He said. And then there was more silence.  
  
This time the silence was broken by a voice that had previously remained silent. "What the Hell is wrong with you, Harry?" Remus said, sounding thoroughly pissed off. "You have two of the best friends in the world, and you just decide to send them packing...after they've done nothing for months but worry about you? I don't believe that you suddenly feel nothing for them. You're wimping out on them for no good reason. Harry, you need them and they need you!"  
  
Harry's face turned an angry red. "Actually, Remus, I have my own reasons for cutting those ties, today, and nothing you can say will make me put them back together. I'm doing the right thing and I know it. So, if you'll excuse me I'm going to go take a walk!" Harry sprang to his feet and Sirius soon followed and grabbed tightly to his wrist. Harry bit his lip in anger and stomped his foot. He then tried unsuccessfully to pry himself free from Sirius's grasp.  
  
"Harry, calm down, we're not going to make you do anything you don't want to do, but you can not go for a walk. It's not safe, you just admitted that. Malfoy's probably still in the building and if he sees you he's going to try to get you again. If you would like me to leave the room, I'll do that for you."  
  
Harry still looked like he wanted to get away, but he let his arm drop slightly and Sirius loosened his hold.  
  
"I'd like to be alone," he stated firmly.  
  
"Fine, I'll take Remus back to the hospital wing before he's missed. I will be back eventually though, and if you're not still here, I'm going to be very, very angry. So please, stay put."  
  
Harry nodded and sat back on the couch.  
  
"C'mon Rem," Sirius said, bending down to help Remus up. They were almost to the door when Remus made Sirius stop and turned back to Harry.  
  
"I'm not forcing you to do anything Harry, but I know what it's like to have no friends. Sirius does too. It's not good, you need them, whether you know it or not. I don't want to see you make the wrong decision. Please make sure you know what you're doing."  
  
Harry's gaze softened a bit and he said quietly, "I will."  
  
Remus nodded and then was helped out of the room and back to the hospital wing by Sirius.  
  
Harry leaned back into the couch when the door was finally shut and he was all alone. He brought his knees up, hugged them against himself and thought about what he had just done.  
  
He had never fallen asleep. He just pretended to so he could think. The way things were going currently, Harry knew that his two best friends were going to get hurt, and he couldn't let that happen. There association with him put them in immediate danger. Harry hadn't told anyone, but he blamed the death of Hagrid on himself as well. He figured Voldemort had killed him only to upset Harry. He conveniently forgot about the job Hagrid was doing when he died. Trying to get the giants on his side, certainly wouldn't have angered Voldemort.  
  
The guilt Harry felt overtook him. He was scared. Nothing seemed to be going right and the last thing he wanted was to get Hermione and Ron further involved with that. They were kids still, Harry wasn't. Harry had seen so many more things, done so many more awful things, he no longer considered himself a child, and didn't want to take that away from his best friends as well.  
  
But Harry knew, he knew he was going to miss them. Ron and Hermione, along with Remus and Sirius were his world and now his world was cut in half.  
  
Tears began to pop up in Harry's eyes, and he tried to hold them back. He had been Mr. Tough Guy long enough, it was already taking a toll on him. But if he was getting like this after only five minutes of his little plan, how was he going to make it last forever? Harry couldn't help it though, and he started sobbing into his knees. They were painful anguished sobs, and they weren't just for his friends, they were for everything. For Hagrid, for Mrs. Weasley, for Remus, and for all that had happened to him that day and all those previous. Harry was to the point where he could no longer deal with life.  
  
Back in the hospital wing Sirius had just gotten Remus back into bed. Remus looked awful, completely exhausted from his excursion to Sirius's room. He was hoping it would be a peaceful time, but it didn't work out that way at all, rather it had taken a lot out of him. Sirius just hoped that it wouldn't get in the way of his recovery, he was more hopeful that it would hurry it along.  
  
Sirius bid Remus goodnight and hurried back to his own room. Hoping that it had been enough alone time for Harry. He opened his door and immediately wanted to kick himself. It had obviously been too much alone time.  
  
"Harry," Sirius sighed as he stepped into the room. Harry's head sprung up, he hadn't heard the door open. His face was red and tear stained, and he looked like he had just been caught doing something bad. Tears continued to stream down his face though.  
  
Sirius walked over and sat next to Harry and put his arms around him.  
  
"Are you sure you know what you're doing, Harry?"  
  
He felt Harry nod into his shoulder.  
  
"And what is that exactly?"  
  
There was a moment of dead silence and then Harry cleared his throat and spoke, "I can't be friends with them anymore. Being my friend will only bring them pain. I don't want to see them in anymore pain. Malfoy could have easily turned on one of them instead of me today. I don't want to see that happen."  
  
"Are you sure it will?"  
  
"If I allow them to continue to be my friends then...yes."  
  
"So you're going to go through the rest of your life without any friends?"  
  
"That's my plan," Harry said with a sniffle.  
  
"And look where it's got you so far," Sirius said gently.  
  
Harry buried his head in Sirius's shoulder. "I know what I'm doing is right."  
  
"Okay, Harry. I'm not here to tell you what to do. But I want you to know, there' s no way you can get rid of me."  
  
Harry pulled back and gave a small smile, "I wouldn't dream of it."  
  
Sirius ruffled his hair and said, "You tired Harry? I think you could use some sleep."  
  
Harry nodded and rubbed his eyes dry.  
  
"Are you going to be alright?"  
  
"I think so, I'm just going to have to adjust to not having any friends."  
  
"Just remember that you're not a loser, you're a loner by choice," Sirius kidded.  
  
"Yeah," Harry said with a small smile.  
  
"Okay, why don't you take my room and I'll sleep on the couch."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah, go ahead."  
  
Harry stood up and was about to walk away when he heard Sirius get up and walk closer to him. Sirius put a hand on each of his shoulders and looked him square in the face. "I know nothing I can tell you is really going to change your mind, but I'm going to tell you this anyway. I've seen this done before, your father did it to us...it doesn't always work. We were in more danger without James then with him. I'm not saying that it'll be this way four you, but I want you to be careful."  
  
Harry nodded, tears still in his eyes.  
  
"I love you bud, come wake me up if you're feeling low okay? And at least try to sleep. We're both going back to classes tomorrow."  
  
Harry again nodded and then let Sirius hug him. He was almost in a trance, not really paying attention to anything going on around him. He stepped back from Sirius, turned and went to the bedroom. He stripped down to his boxers and climbed into Sirius's huge bed. He was asleep the second his head hit the pillow.  
  
The next morning, he woke with the sun as it poured through the window. How Sirius could stand to have a window facing East was beyond Harry, but then again Sirius slept so soundly it probably didn't affect him at all.  
  
He rolled over in the large bed and looked at the small clock on the bedside, it was 8:00. Usually he would get up and shower and then meet his friends for breakfast at that time, but today that was out of the question. For today he didn't even want to face them in the great hall, so he decided then and there that he'd be eating in Sirius's room, that is if Sirius would let him. He threw back the covers and slid out of bed. He didn't bother to put his clothes back on, and just walked out of the room. Sirius was still snoring away on the couch, wearing the same attire as Harry.  
  
"Sirius," Harry said. "Sirius, time to get up! First class is in an hour!" Sirius wasn't budging so Harry began to push on Sirius's shoulder as well. It took awhile, nearly ten minutes, but Sirius soon woke up and glared at Harry.  
  
"Hey, would you prefer I let you over sleep?" Harry asked, annoyed that all his effort got him was a glare.  
  
"I suppose not," Sirius mumbled, "At least you didn't use water."  
  
"I considered it."  
  
"How ya doing Harry?" Sirius asked, climbing off the couch and getting some coffee.  
  
Harry shrugged, "I'll be fine."  
  
Sirius peered over his mug suspiciously.  
  
"I will be!"  
  
Sirius smiled, "I hope so. Why don't you sit down, eat some breakfast with me and then go back to the dormitories and get ready for your classes. You have me first today and I want to see you fresh and clean and on time."  
  
Harry smiled and nodded. He took a seat in a chair and waited for Sirius to bring him a plate of eggs and toast. They ate quickly and then Harry hurried on his way. He had only half an hour to get back to the dormitories get cleaned up and then make it to defense against the dark arts, all the while avoiding his two best friends. But he managed to do it, or so he thought. He was running down the corridor seconds before class started and he had a few more turns to go when he ran smack into a man in black dress robes. He looked up into the face of Lucius Malfoy, rather an extremely pissed off Lucius Malfoy. Harry backed slowly away, but was stopped when Mr. Malfoy grabbed his wrist.  
  
"Well look who it is," Lucius muttered darkly.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
All Done!!!! Hope you all enjoy that ending as much as I did! Next chapter should be out relatively soon, I don't think it will take nearly as long as this one did, I'm going away this Saturday, but only for a day, so I should have plenty of free time to write :) 


	27. Chapter 27

Another one down! This story is drawing to a close (finally). I meant for the action to start a little bit sooner. My plan is for it to come out next chapter, but the beginning of it may take longer than expected, so please bear with me. I hope you enjoy!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Harry struggled against Malfoy's hold. "Let me go!" he yelled in vain.  
  
"Lets see Potter, my lord tried to kill you, he failed. My son tried to kill you, he failed. It's my turn now, and I never fail."  
  
Harry kept struggling against the hold, but Malfoy wouldn't let go. He pointed his wand at Harry and muttered, "crucio."  
  
In seconds Harry was writhing in pain on the floor of the corridor screaming like mad, but no one seemed to hear him, no one came. After about two minutes of that torture Mr. Malfoy took the curse off him. Harry wanted to get up off the floor and run away, but he couldn't find the energy, he was drained.  
  
"Well that got boring fast, didn't it Potter. It looks like its time for the grand finale, don't you think?"  
  
"No, please, no," Harry muttered. But he saw Malfoy raising his wand again. Harry flinched like he had the day before, thinking this was total de ja vu. He just hoped it would end the same way. It did.  
  
When Harry had had his eyes squinted shut for 5 seconds, he realized nothing was going to happen. Slowly he opened his eyes and peered down the hall. Malfoy was lying flat on his face, much like his son had the previous day. Standing behind him were Ron and Hermione, both panting wildly. Harry looked down in shame.  
  
Ron stepped up and knelt in front of his friend. "Are you okay, Harry?"  
  
Harry bit his lip and shook his head. "I'm so sorry."  
  
Ron just nodded and helped Harry to his feet. Hermione then stepped closer, tears in her eyes. She pulled Harry into a hug and started bawling into his shoulder. He wrapped one arm weakly around her back and then leant back into the wall. Slowly he slid down to the floor, technically he collapsed, but it was slower than that. Hermione pulled away when he did this and knelt down beside him.  
  
"Please get Sirius," he muttered to Hermione. She nodded and ran off towards the defense against the dark arts room. Ron stayed behind and tried to keep Harry focused, fearing that he would pass out.  
  
Hermione quickly reached the defense against the dark arts room and ran into the middle of the classroom, making quite an entrance. The whole class was staring at her in awe.  
  
"Sir-Professor Black! You have to come with me!"  
  
"Hermione, what's going on? Why are you late? And do you know where Harry and Ron are?"  
  
Hermione nodded emphatically. "You have to come with me now! It's an emergency! It's Harry!"  
  
Sirius dropped the book he was holding on the floor and ran out of the room. He doubled back quickly and yelled, "Neville, you're in charge!" and then was back out the door.  
  
He then followed Hermione around a corner and found a man lying on the floor and his godson leaning against the wall, looking like he was going to pass out. Ron was holding him up by the shoulders.  
  
Harry looked up when Sirius skidded to a halt in front of him and then he passed out. Sirius quickly dropped to his knees and held Harry's face in his hands. He slapped him gently, but got no response. Fearing the worst, he took Harry's pulse and found that it was still there, beating strong. He sighed in relief and fully sat down on the floor. He turned to Ron and Hermione.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"I don't really know, we were late and rushing to get to your class when we heard him scream, so we went this way and saw Mr. Malfoy pointing his wand at Harry. He already did something to Harry though, but we don't know what."  
  
Sirius looked at his godson. His face was very pale. Sirius placed the back of his hand on Harry's forehead and noted that it was ice cold, yet Harry was sweating bullets, a sure sign that the Cruciatus had been performed. Sirius's heart caught in his throat. Harry had been tortured and he hadn't been there to save him. He really wasn't safe anywhere.  
  
Sirius stood up and drew his wand. "What did you do to Lucius?"  
  
"Stunned him," Hermione said quietly.  
  
Sirius then stunned him again and kicked him against the wall.  
  
"You two come with me, I'm bringing Harry to the hospital wing and then I'll talk to Dumbledore. He's not going to like this too much, but I have to do what I have to do."  
  
Hermione and Ron didn't say a word as they were sincerely worried about what Sirius might do. He looked thoroughly pissed off that Harry had been attacked twice in two days within the confines of Hogwarts. He was about ready to take Harry, as well as Remus and go back home, thinking it would be safer for everyone there.  
  
Sirius hunched down and picked Harry up in his arms, though it was evident that he was a little too heavy for him. He made it all the way to the hospital wing though and dropped him off in a bed before running through the wing in search of Madam Pomfrey, he found her and dragged her to the bed Harry laid unconscious in.  
  
"What happened to him now?" she shrieked shocked.  
  
"Lucius Malfoy attacked him. Please help him! I have to go now. You two stay here," he said to Hermione and Ron and then left the room, just as another voice was heard.  
  
"Sirius? Sirius what's going on?" Remus was yelling from his bed as soon as he recognized his friends voice. When he didn't get a reply he decided to see for himself. He unsteadily got out of bed and started walking towards the sound. He made it halfway into the middle of the room, so that Hermione and Ron could see him and then fell.  
  
"Remus!" Ron exclaimed.  
  
Madam Pomfrey turned and literally growled. "Mr. Lupin! What in the world do you think you are doing?"  
  
"Something happened with Sirius and I want to know what, now will you tell me...or help me?"  
  
Madam Pomfrey chose to ignore him and turned back to Harry. Ron and Hermione then walked over to Remus and helped pull him to his feet. He put an arm over each of their shoulders and they guided him to a chair next to Harry's bed.  
  
"What happened?" he asked.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy attacked him in the hall. I think he was trying to do what Malfoy couldn't," Ron said.  
  
"Oh my God, no wonder Sirius sounded so upset. Poor Harry, he just can't get a break."  
  
Ron looked a little uncomfortable and then turned to Remus and asked, "Do you know what last night was all about?"  
  
Remus shook his head, "He wouldn't tell me anything, but I imagine Sirius got something out of him eventually. But if I know Harry, and I think I do, it wasn't a personal thing, he was probably trying to protect you."  
  
"How can he protect us by hurting us?" Hermione asked, sounding pretty upset.  
  
"Trust me, it's possible. You'll have to talk to him about it though."  
  
They nodded and then watched Pomfrey's examination for a while. After what seemed like an eternity she stepped back from the bed.  
  
"This boy has been put under the Cruciatus curse. For quite a long time if my calculations are correct. A little over two minutes. People have been known to die after being under it that long. He's a lucky boy."  
  
"He's anything but lucky," came a voice from the door. Sirius had shown up just in time for the diagnosis.  
  
"I guess you're right about that Mr. Black," Pomfrey mumbled and then left the area. Sirius walked in further and sat on the edge of Harry's bed. He stroked Harry's head meticulously for a while and then turned beat red and looked like he was going to punch something.  
  
"Ron, Hermione, why don't you go to class, Harry will be fine. You can see him later," Remus said sternly, acting nothing like the helpless man they had just helped off the floor. They listened to him and left Remus alone with Sirius.  
  
"What happened, Sir?"  
  
"Malfoy got away...we stunned him twice and he got away!" Sirius yelled, hitting the mattress so hard Harry shook. Sirius leaned his elbows on his knees and rested his head in his hands. "I failed him again, Moony."  
  
"No you didn't Sirius. You brought him here today, you saved him yesterday...when have you ever failed him?"  
  
"I just did! He got attacked when I basically told him he'd be safe for a while, and then I let his attacker get away!"  
  
"Sirius, you didn't fail him, okay? Now calm down."  
  
Sirius tried, but he couldn't calm down. He put his hands behind his neck and leaned forward, trying to cool off, but he couldn't. Remus carefully got up and turned around so he was right next to Sirius and he put his hand on Sirius's back, rubbing it for support.  
  
"God! I hate this Moony! Why can't anything just go right for a change? Why?!" Sirius stood up and started kicking beds, chairs and tables.  
  
"Sirius! Sirius stop! Please stop!" Remus yelled, he looked terrified, like he was about to cry. A result of his term in Azkaban.  
  
"I'm so sorry Moony," he muttered, coming back to sit next to his friend, his voice was dripping with sadness. He hugged his best friend tightly and tried his hardest not to cry, he succeeded.  
  
After he had calmed down a bit he pulled out of the hug and turned back to Harry. He just watched his godson sleep, shaking his head in shame. Remus moved carefully back to his chair and watched as Sirius became transfixed staring at Harry. He then laughed when Harry woke up suddenly scaring the hell out of Sirius and causing him to fall off the bed. Harry smiled too, but it didn't last long as he was obviously still in pain. Sirius quickly got off the floor and helped Harry sit up.  
  
"What happened, Harry?"  
  
Harry sighed and tried to look away, but Sirius grabbed his chin and forced him to look at him.  
  
"Tell me Harry," he said sternly.  
  
"Fine, I was running to get to your class and I ran straight into Mr. Malfoy. He grabbed my wrist and told me he was going to finish the job, that Voldemort and his son couldn't finish. First he put me under the Cruciatus curse and then he was going to finish me off...but Ron and Hermione stopped him, some how. God! I wish I could just crawl under a rock and die...then I wouldn't have to deal with all this!"  
  
"Harry! How can you say that? You don't really mean that do you?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "I don't know, I kind of wish I could to be completely honest. I mean, it would be so much easier than constantly having to worry about somebody pointing there wand at me, someone always trying to kill me...someday they're going to you know."  
  
Sirius grabbed each of Harry's hands and looked him firmly in the face. "No they're not, Harry. You're going to be fine. Stop talking like this, have a little hope. Please."  
  
"I can't do it anymore, Sirius," he mumbled in exhaustion.  
  
Sirius didn't know what more to say, it sounded like Harry was finished, ready to do what he wished and crawl under a rock to die. But Remus hadn't had his turn yet. While Sirius stood up and started pacing the room Remus again switched seats and sat by Harry. Sirius didn't even seem to notice this as he was so lost in thought.  
  
"Harry, this isn't the end, it's nowhere near it. I know you're having a hard time right now, and I can't even begin to imagine how it must be, but you forget you're not the only one who's had hard times. Look at Sirius, he spent 12 years in Hell and he's fine now, he never gave up. Same for me, I've been to hell and back, what with my lycanthropy, the death of your parents, my own term in Azkaban. I made it through. And I've been where you are right now. Ready to give up, but I didn't, Sirius didn't. You can't either. Please, Harry, don't give up. Keep fighting."  
  
Harry bit his lip and shook his head, "I'll try, but I don't know how much more I can take."  
  
"Good Harry, you need to keep trying, you can't wimp out."  
  
Harry nodded with a sigh.  
  
"You're an awesome kid Harry."  
  
"Not because I want to be," Harry said in a depressed tone.  
  
"I know, Harry," he muttered, pulling Harry into a tight hug. He noticed that Harry was shaking like mad.  
  
"Are you okay, Harry?"  
  
"I hurt really bad...all over, from the curse."  
  
"You're shaking like crazy...do you want some pain reliever?"  
  
Harry shook his head, "I'm immune to that stuff, I've had to use it a bit too much."  
  
Sirius by that time had come back and sat next to Remus on the bed. There were tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry Harry, I wish I could just take you and leave all this...all this pain. That's my job, that's what I should be able to do...but I can't. I'm so sorry I can't..."  
  
"It's not your fault Sirius. No one could do that for me, it's my life, that's the way it is."  
  
"But it shouldn't be like that. Your parents wouldn't want it like that."  
  
"Sirius, his parents would want you doing exactly what you're doing now. You do everything in your power to make Harry feel better, and that's enough!" Remus said emphatically.  
  
Sirius shook his head in disagreement, "No, it's not enough."  
  
"Sirius, it's more than enough, you help me so much," Harry said. "I can't imagine how bad it would be if you weren't here to help me."  
  
"It's still not enough. I should be able to do more."  
  
"But you can't Sirius, and that's okay, I don't mind. There's nothing anyone can do about it. Just let it go," Harry begged.  
  
Sirius nodded, trying hard not to let the tears in his eyes out. "I have to go," he said suddenly and strode quickly out of the room.  
  
"Sirius wait!" Harry called, but Sirius didn't listen.  
  
Harry turned to Remus and gave him a look as if to say, "What do we do now?"  
  
"He'll be okay, Harry. He thinks he has to do everything for everyone and is never happy until he's done it all. But he'll deal with this. He's just frustrated because it's something he can't do. Sirius escaped Azkaban, he can do pretty much anything, but he can't make your life easier and it's killing him."  
  
"Maybe I should just die then, it would make it easier on Sirius too."  
  
"Stop talking like that Harry. If you died, it would kill him too. He loves you that much. He would feel so guilty, even if it had nothing to do with him, that he would just die with you. If not physically than mentally."  
  
Harry shuddered at the thought and Remus put his hand on his shoulder. "But if you're alright he's alright."  
  
"No, he's not alright now, is he? Who knows where he just ran off to. I wish I could go to him, but I feel like I can barely lift my arm...I hope he's okay."  
  
"He is, don't worry about it. Go back to sleep, Harry, you need rest. Sirius said that Hagrid's funerals going to be tomorrow. I'm going...you're going. So we need rest."  
  
"It's tomorrow," Harry said, in a very depressed tone.  
  
"Yup, tomorrow."  
  
"I can't deal with this, Remus, I can't."  
  
"Yes you can Harry. I know you can, you're strong. You'll get through this."  
  
Harry just helplessly shook his head.  
  
Remus felt nothing but pity for him and wrapped him in a hug, the only thing he could think of that would make him feel better. It didn't seem to help, though, so Remus released him and tried to push him back against the pillows.  
  
"Go to sleep Harry."  
  
Harry nodded, but didn't immediately close his eyes. Eventually, however, Remus saw his eyelids flutter shut and he heard his breathing even out.  
  
"Wow," Remus thought to himself. "Harry was so happy before I left...even when he came to visit he was in such better shape. The poor kid. He's been through so much, why can't everything go easy for him. Already he's had the worst life I've ever heard of. Maybe he's right, maybe he would be better off dead."  
  
Remus wanted to kick himself the minute he thought that, but didn't have the energy to. Rather he forced himself to forget about Harry's problems. He then fell asleep in the chair too.  
  
Hours later he woke to the sound of whispers around him. Sirius was back, sitting on the edge of Harry's bed, whispering in his ears. Harry was still asleep, and it seemed Sirius wanted it to stay that way. Remus leaned forward a little and noticed that there were tears running down Sirius's face. He didn't even notice that Remus had awoken.  
  
"Padfoot...?" Remus whispered, not wanting to scare him. He failed. Sirius whipped around and stared into Remus's concerned face. He then relaxed again and continued to let the tears fall.  
  
"Padfoot, what's up?" he asked in the same soft tone.  
  
"Harry says he can't deal with this...well...I don't think I can either, Rem. There's so much...so much...shit going on and its so hard. Why can't everything just be easy...Harry asked me that the other day. I didn't really know what to say so I gave him some bullshit answer. There's nothing I can do for him anymore, Remus."  
  
"Of course there is Sirius. He needs you support if nothing else. I'm sure just having you sit next to him like you are now helps him immensely. I think you help that kid more than you'll ever know. You need to accept that you're not superman, Sirius."  
  
He just continued to shake his head as the tears continued to fall. "Remus, Harry almost died two days in a row. He's suffering. His life sucks! I'm responsible for that life!"  
  
"Sirius! Listen to me! There's nothing you can do and it's not your fault. Understand. It's everyone's fault but yours. All you've ever done is your best. Am I right?"  
  
"Yeah, I've always done my best, but my best isn't good enough."  
  
"No one's is Sirius, and that's not your fault. You're doing your best and that's all you need to do. You could be doing much worse, you know."  
  
"I guess," Sirius muttered, trying unsuccessfully to wipe his tears. "I just feel so...helpless."  
  
"You're not though Padfoot. Harry needs you to keep doing what you do. Getting all blubbery isn't going to get you anywhere. So cheer up man."  
  
Sirius laughed lightly at the American tone in Remus's tone as he said cheer up man. He wiped his eyes dry and hit Remus on the back friendlily. "Thanks Rem."  
  
"Anytime Sirius. Hey, do you think you could help me get back to my bed?"  
  
"Sure, but how'd you get over here to begin with?"  
  
Remus turned a little red, "Well I tried to do it on my own, but I fell over. Ron and Hermione had to help me. I'm really tired and want to go to sleep."  
  
Sirius nodded putting on his worried face. He stood and helped Remus and then helped him hobble across the room. "You're getting better Moony, I can see it."  
  
Remus smiled sadly. "Yeah, but do you realize what's coming up this weekend?"  
  
Sirius's face fell, "Full moon...you haven't really recovered yet. Hey, but maybe Snape can get you some Wolfsbane potion. He's been nice lately, if you'll believe that." Sirius then helped Remus climb into bed.  
  
"I'm surprised but I will believe it. Think you could ask him for me?"  
  
"I'd be happy to Rem. Sleep well 'man'."  
  
"Oh shut up!" Remus joked throwing a pillow at Sirius.  
  
"See you Moony."  
  
"Bye Padfoot."  
  
Sirius walked back over to Harry's bed and watched him sleep for a while. Remus had helped him a lot, he no longer felt so responsible. He thought about all the things that happened that day, and along with Remus's words of wisdom, he saw it at a new perspective. He just knew he couldn't get Harry to see things the way he did.  
  
Soon he was asleep too.  
  
Sirius slept until dinner that night when he was awoken by bickering between two of his favorite students, Ron and Hermione. They were apparently fighting over whether or not to wake up Harry. They didn't notice that they had woken Sirius up in the process.  
  
"I suggest you let him sleep, or he may really want to stop being your friend," Sirius joked, making Ron and Hermione jump.  
  
"Oh sorry, professor, didn't mean to wake you up," Hermione said immediately remorseful.  
  
"It's okay Hermione. I'm sore enough from this chair as it is, longer in it would only prolong the pain," Sirius replied standing and stretching.  
  
"Is he alright?" Ron asked.  
  
"I think so. He's pretty upset, but I think he'll be fine. I hope so at least."  
  
"How long has he been asleep? Has he been up at all since we left?" Hermione asked.  
  
Sirius nodded solemnly, "Yeah he was up for a little while there. I think he's still in a lot of pain, and he shakes a lot...but like I said, he's going to be fine," Sirius said forcefully, as if he was trying to convince himself of it.  
  
"Think he'll be up soon?" Ron asked. "We really want to talk to him."  
  
"About yesterday?" Sirius asked nodding. "I'm surprised he hasn't gotten up yet actually. I guess it wouldn't hurt him to get up now. Why don't you step out for a minute though in case he's not feeling up to par."  
  
The two nodded and walked outside the hospital wing where they waited patiently.  
  
Sirius then leaned over Harry and shook him gently, saying in a soft voice, "Harry, wake up bud. There are people who want to talk to you. Please wake up bud."  
  
It took a while, but Harry slowly opened his eyes and became alert.  
  
"Hey sleepyhead, how are you feeling?"  
  
Harry shrugged indifferently, making Sirius sigh.  
  
"Is there any less pain?"  
  
"I guess," Harry said with a yawn.  
  
"Are you hungry?"  
  
"What's with the twenty questions?!"  
  
Sirius was slightly taken aback. He just stared at Harry, somewhat hurt, but trying not to show it.  
  
Harry stared back hard for a while, but then his face softened realizing he had just made an ass out of himself in front of the person who cared the most about him.  
  
"Sorry..." Harry said looking down. "Did you want something? Why did you wake me up?"  
  
"Your friends wanted to talk to you. They saved you Harry. I think you need to talk to them."  
  
It was obvious that Harry didn't want to, but he agreed to anyways. Sirius went to the door and motioned for them to come in and then he wandered off. Ron and Hermione wandered in like they were visiting someone on their deathbed. They stood side by side at the foot of his bed and just stared at him. Not sure what grudge Harry may still hold. It soon became clear that Harry was going to have to be the first to speak.  
  
He sighed when he realized this and mumbled, "I'm...sorry about yesterday. I was trying to do what I thought was right. Everything I do...touch seems to be in immediate danger. I didn't want to put you guys in anymore danger. Look at Hagrid, that could happen to you guys and it would be all my fault. I wanted to keep the number of people with ties to me at a minimum. I'm sorry that I hurt you...but it hurt me too. I could barely keep up that act long enough to get you out of there. I could never have held it out...I should have figured that."  
  
Hermione looked instantly ready to forgive him but Ron looked pissed.  
  
"You had no right to do that Harry! If we felt unsafe being friends with you then it was our decision! Not yours! Do you think you're God or something Harry? You're not!"  
  
"Ron, I don't think I'm God...I just feel so guilty, about everything. I didn't mean to hurt you. I thought I was doing the right thing. Obviously I was wrong, and I'm sorry. Will you please forgive me?" Harry pleaded. He had lost his friends the day before on his own will, but he wanted them back, and was afraid that this time he was going to lose them for real.  
  
Ron looked at Harry calculatingly and Harry really thought he had decided to ditch him, but then Ron nodded. Harry sighed in relief and smiled. Ron smiled back.  
  
"I'm really sorry Ron, Hermione."  
  
Hermione was moved to tears and quickly hugged each of her friends, managing to turn each of them a shade of red.  
  
"Thanks you guys...for stopping Malfoy...I owe you my life now."  
  
"It was our pleasure," Ron said lightheartedly. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Eh, so-so. I hurt a lot, but I've been in worse pain."  
  
"Do you want anything?" Hermione asked.  
  
"A back rub would be nice," Harry joked. "No, I'll be fine. How about some exploding snap? I think there's a pack in that drawer over there."  
  
Ron wandered over to the drawer and dug around, sure enough finding a pack of exploding snap cards. Kids exploding snap cards so they wouldn't injure the injured, but it would keep them occupied nonetheless.  
  
After ten minutes of the game Sirius wandered back in. It looked like he had come from Remus's spot in the room, but no one knew for sure, and they didn't bother to ask. He joined them for a while and when seven o'clock rolled around he kicked out Ron and Hermione.  
  
They were to meet Sirius in the entrance hall early the next morning to go with Sirius, Remus and Harry to the funeral. The whole school wasn't allowed to go, just those who knew him well. Harry for one was greatly relieved about that.  
  
Once his friends left he turned to Sirius and said, "Thanks...I'm sorry I was a little...er...moody earlier. I didn't mean it, it was purely circumstantial."  
  
"Circumstantial, huh? It's okay Harry, I understand. I know it's early, but you're an injured man! You look like you need to get some rest."  
  
"I do...but that's never going to happen in this hospital bed."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked sarcastically. "Those beds have the finest mattresses I have ever slept on! They're very high-quality cardboard."  
  
Harry smirked at Sirius and shook his head, trying not to laugh.  
  
"You want me to smuggle you out?"  
  
"Think I could make it?"  
  
"That's up to you bud."  
  
"I'd like to try. Too bad Remus can't get out of here too. He must be some sick of these beds also."  
  
"Harry he's been sleeping on rock for the past three months. For him my description is one hundred percent truthful."  
  
Harry smiled sadly. "Can we go?"  
  
"Sure, but Madam Pomfrey's going to kill me. We'll have to leave a note, though, or she may think you've been kidnapped."  
  
"As long as she doesn't come hunt me down."  
  
"She won't, trust me, I think she's had it with the three of us."  
  
"Nah, she still loves me," Harry joked, until he realized exactly what he had just said. Sirius caught why though. He knew very few people who really loved him and it wasn't a word he tended to use lightly. Sirius decided not to call him on it and went to write a note. He then helped Harry up and dropped the note on the bed. Then they slowly walked to Sirius's room. Harry had no problem moving his legs, they just didn't want to hold him up, so Sirius had to practically drag him. Needless to say they were both huffing and puffing by the time they reached the teachers hallway.  
  
Snape passed them on their way and gave them a curious look but didn't give his usual scowl. Sirius caught that and decided now was a good time to ask him a favor.  
  
"Snape, I was er...wondering...the full moons coming up and Remus still hasn't really recovered. Do you think you could brew him some Wolfsbane. He could die if he doesn't get it."  
  
"Black, we are not friends. I still greatly dislike you and your werewolf friend. Why would I do this for you?"  
  
"Severus," Sirius said with clenched teeth. "We've been through a lot. You know what's been going on. We just need a little help. Can't we finally put our petty differences aside to help a suffering man?"  
  
Snape considered this for a while. "I'll think about it. Good evening." He walked off stoically towards his room and slammed the door shut.  
  
"That went well...I think," Sirius said. Harry gave a short laugh to the statement, thinking he was probably right, it could have been much, much worse. They made there way into Sirius's room and Sirius dragged Harry to the couch and sat him down.  
  
"You get the bed again tonight, bud," Sirius said yawning.  
  
"No, Sirius, that's okay, I can take the couch."  
  
"Uh-uh no, you are injured, you need the utmost comfort, and you won't be getting that on the couch. You are sleeping in my bed and I am sleeping on this luxurious couch."  
  
"Fine, Sirius," Harry resigned.  
  
"C'mon," he said, helping Harry up again and bringing him to the room. He sat Harry on the bed and helped him get down to his boxers and then tucked him away under the covers.  
  
"Night, bud, I love you."  
  
"Love you too, Sirius, night."  
  
Sirius didn't leave immediately, though. He inconspicuously started brushing Harry's hair back with his hand and then sneakily brushed his fingers over the scar. No visions. Harry was telling the truth. It had come to the point where Sirius never knew what to believe when Harry was talking about his health. He had already lied about it a few too many times. Sirius sighed and stood up to leave the room.  
  
He got the couch ready for bed and also stripped down to his boxers. He then just laid on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. He must have been doing that for at least an hour when there was a knock on the door. He jumped off the couch and looked out the peep hole. It was Severus Snape. Curious as to why he'd be showing up at his door, Sirius opened it. He didn't say a nice 'hello' or a rude 'what do you want'. He just stared at him.  
  
"I've come to a decision," Snape said.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"I'll make the potion."  
  
"I thank you for that. He really needs it this time."  
  
"I'm not doing it for him, and I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for the safety of everyone in this school."  
  
Sirius nodded, slightly annoyed by the comment. The last thing Remus was, was dangerous. He took great caution with his lycanthropy.  
  
"I still thank you," Sirius said, but not as meaningfully as he had previously.  
  
Snape looked like he was going to leave, but then asked, "How's the boy? I heard what happened."  
  
Sirius was taken aback. He knew something had changed, though he still didn't know what happened or how. "He's okay. He was pretty depressed earlier, but I think I snapped him out of it. Tomorrow's another day though, and it will be just as depressing. We'll play it by ear. See how things go."  
  
"Indeed," Snape said. He put on a sour face, like he had to drink a foul potion and added, "I do hope he's alright."  
  
Sirius's mouth dropped open. He soon recovered from the shock and said, "Thanks Severus, thanks a lot."  
  
Snape nodded and then left the room. Sirius shut the door behind him with a puzzled expression.  
  
"He has definitely taken a liking to Harry," Sirius thought to himself, "I would really like to know why, though. I would really like to know."  
  
He tried to forget about Snape, but the only other thing he could think of was the next day, and he didn't have good thoughts about it. He knew very well that nothing about tomorrow would be good. Funeral's are supposed to bring closure, but for he and Harry it was only going to bring reality. Reality was the last thing either of them needed.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Another one down! I'm going away this weekend, but I'm going to try very hard to get the next one out before then. I have no school Friday, so that could be an opportunity to get things done. Anyway, I'm looking forward to ending this story, although I'm sure most of you aren't. I have a new idea already in my head for the next story, it'll be a L/J with a twist. Told from the view of Peter Pettigrew, it will chronicle how the two fell in love, bumps along the way, and how exactly Peter went from being a fat happy kid to an evil deatheater. Does this sound good? I can't wait to start writing it, so tell me what you think and if you'd be apt to read it! Thanks and please don't forget to review! 


	28. Chapter 28

**Before you read**Before you read**Before you read**  
  
This chapter has an interesting ending, but I want you all to promise me right now that you aren't going to give up on this story after you read this chapter. There's still at least one chapter to go! Maybe two or three. Got it! And no flames please!  
  
Wow, this one just flowed right on out of me...I personally love this chapter I had a good time writing it. It's kind of short, but it ended where I wanted it to end. I went home mid-way through the school day today and got a ton written, as well as a couple hours after school before I had to go to work! Now, I didn't expect to get this one out so soon, so it is possible that the next one will be out by Friday, can't guarantee, but maybe. If not it should be up by next Tuesday or Wednesday.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Harry, buddy, time to get up!" Sirius called, practically skipping over the floor to his room. The floor was ice cold and Sirius was not wearing socks, so he was trying to touch the floor as little as possible. When he got to the bed he couldn't take the cold on his feet anymore and he leapt onto the mattress. He dropped to his knees next to his sleeping godson.  
  
Putting his mouth close to Harry's ear he whispered, "Harry?" Then he yelled, "Harry!"  
  
Harry sprang awake and nearly fell off the bed for two reasons. The sound of Sirius's scream had scared the life out of him, as well as the fact that Sirius was sitting almost on top of him.  
  
"Sorry bud," he said with a shrug. "You have to get up though!"  
  
Harry nodded and moaned before burying his face back into the pillow.  
  
"I'm serious bud."  
  
"I know you are," Harry mumbled.  
  
Sirius smacked him gently on the back. "I do not appreciate that twist on my name! You know that!"  
  
Harry lifted his head and smirked.  
  
"C'mon Harry, I've got breakfast ready and everything. We have half an hour to eat and get dressed, now lets go!" Sirius said, hopping back off the bed and then jumping from one foot to the other.  
  
"Why you dancing?" Harry mumbled.  
  
"I am not dancing, this floor is like ice. Lets GO so we can go sit on the couch and eat where it's warm," Sirius mumbled through chattering teeth. His skin was turning a slight blue.  
  
"Maybe if you wore clothes you wouldn't be so cold."  
  
"Excuse me but what do you call these?" Sirius asked pulling on the edge of his bright green boxers with kiwi fruit all over it.  
  
Harry rolled his eyes and tried to get out of bed, but the minute he rolled over he flinched in pain.  
  
Sirius immediately forgot his freezing toes and fingers and asked, "What is it are you still in pain? Do you need me to get you something?"  
  
"I'm fine Sirius, it just hurt a little to turn."  
  
"Can you get up okay?"  
  
"I think so," Harry said and he threw his legs over the edge and stood. He was a little wobbly but managed to steady himself. "This floor is cold!"  
  
"Duh, lets go!" Sirius said and ran out of the room. Harry followed, but at a slightly slower pace than Sirius.  
  
When he reached the couch Sirius picked up one of the blankets he had used last night and wrapped it around Harry's back, so that he was completely covered with its warmth, but could still use his hands. He then wrapped one around himself in the same manner. Quickly he ran and got their breakfast from the little kitchen and brought it back to the couch, where the two ate in the utmost warmth and comfort.  
  
When they had both finished, neither immediately got up to do anything. For a while Harry had looked pretty happy, but now he looked worried.  
  
"What's on your mind bud?" Sirius asked concerned by Harry's facial expressions.  
  
Harry shrugged. "Bad feeling, that's all."  
  
"About...?"  
  
"About today. I feel like its not going to go right....like something's going to happen."  
  
Sirius looked really worried now. "Maybe we should stay here then Harry. The last time you had a bad feeling it was because Azkaban had been attacked. I think, somehow, you're like psychic or something. I don't think we, especially you, should go."  
  
Harry shook his head. "No, I have to go. There's no way I would miss this, Hagrid meant too much to me, I couldn't not go to his funeral." Harry continued to shake his head and then looked tearful. "Please let me go, Sirius."  
  
Sirius closed his eyes tight and shook his head, but he knew he had to let Harry go. "We can still go, but you're to be extra careful. The moment anything out of the ordinary happens you get yourself somewhere safe as soon as you can. I'm not letting you out of my sight today, got it?"  
  
Harry nodded, he still looked tearful, though. Sirius wrapped a blanketed arm over Harry's shoulder and rested his chin atop Harry's head. "We'll be okay, bud."  
  
Again, Harry nodded, but he still seemed choked up. Sirius decided it was time to take his mind off that. "Lets get ready."  
  
"Okay," Harry mumbled, "I'll go back to Gryffindor tower."  
  
"No, you don't have to do that. You can shower in here."  
  
"What about you?"  
  
"I'll go scrubby today. There's no time for you to go there and back again and there's no time for both of us to shower in here. Go ahead. I'll accio some dress robes for you and bring them in for when you're done."  
  
"Thanks Sirius," Harry said before heading in the direction of the bathroom.  
  
"Anytime, bud, anytime."  
  
From his perch on the couch, Sirius summoned his own clothes and changed right there. He then did the same with Harry's and then threw them on the counter in the bathroom.  
  
He then waited patiently on the couch for Harry to finish up what he was doing. Time was getting down there though, and Harry still hadn't come out of the bathroom. Sirius didn't know what was taking so long so he walked up to the bathroom door and knocked gently.  
  
"We have to go in five minutes, bud. Hurry up." After he said this he heard a soft sniffle. He sighed to himself, knowing immediately what the hold up was.  
  
"Harry, out, now!" Sirius commanded.  
  
He watched the door open slowly and then saw Harry's tear streaked face. He walked forward and embraced his godson. Pressing Harry's wet head into his chest with his hand. Sirius didn't bother to ask what was wrong. Harry willingly gave that information.  
  
"I'm not ready to say goodbye, Sirius."  
  
"What do you mean bud?"  
  
"To Hagrid, I'm not ready to say goodbye. This year...I practically ignored him. I didn't go down to see him nearly as much as I used to. I-I don't even know why. I just didn't. He died probably thinking that I didn't like him anymore...that I was mad at him or something. He'll never know that that wasn't the case. I-I think I loved him...and I never told him that....I...." Harry trailed off with sobs.  
  
Sirius rocked him slowly back and forth. "Harry, that's what today's for. He'll be looking down today, watching you, and he'll hear all of that. Today you're going to pay your respects to Hagrid, and you can tell him whatever you want. Whatever you think he needs to know. He'll hear it. Apologize for not being around so much, tell him why. He will hear it. It's now or never, Harry."  
  
He felt Harry nod against his chest. "It's going to be alright, Harry. It's not like he died hating you, he died loving you..."  
  
Harry tried to interrupt there, but Sirius wouldn't let him.  
  
"He did love you Harry, you know it. Whether you want to admit it or not. I think you were like a son to him...like you are to me."  
  
Harry clung tighter to Sirius here and cried a while longer before calming down and drying his face.  
  
"Sorry," Harry said when he was finished.  
  
"No need to be sorry, bud, I completely understand. I've been there."  
  
Harry just nodded.  
  
"Hey why don' t you go get rid of the tear tracks and then we'll go."  
  
He did just that and then they left the room. Harry still wasn't smiling, but there was a definite improvement in his attitude. Sirius put his arm over Harry's shoulder as they walked down the hallways to the hospital wing. Remus was waiting patiently when they arrived, perched in a wheelchair similar to Harry's from the summer.  
  
"Hey guys, thought you left without me."  
  
"Yeah, sorry about that Rem. We overslept, you know me," Sirius lied. Harry grinned at him gratefully. "Now lets go meet those other two and be on our way, shall we?"  
  
Remus and Harry nodded and they left the room. They met up with Ron and Hermione in the Entrance Hall and then stepped outside. They were immediately met with piercing cold wind.  
  
"Ah...Harry, I think we should have brought cloaks," Sirius said, turning his head away from the wind so he could breath.  
  
Harry nodded his agreement while Hermione and Ron, who were completely bundled up, laughed mockingly at them.  
  
"Accio two cloaks!" Sirius yelled and almost instantly two cloaks appeared. Harry gave Sirius a weird look.  
  
"Sirius, whose are these?"  
  
Sirius shrugged and put one on and gave the other to Harry. He then walked off. The one Harry held belonged to a fellow Gryffindor as it had a picture of the Gryffindor lion embroidered over the chest pocket. He noticed that the cloak was heavier than normal but thought nothing of it. He just felt weird wearing someone else's cloak that they had just stolen.  
  
Harry looked around and saw that everyone was waiting for him. He resigned to putting it on. They walked to the gates of the Hogwarts grounds and waited for the carriages to come and pick them up. The funeral was to be held in Hogsmead. Hagrid's favorite place. While they were waiting Harry turned and looked at the Hogwarts grounds. His eyes immediately focused on Hagrid's hut. Smoke was no longer swirling out of the chimney. It brought tears back to Harry's eyes, but he didn't let them fall.  
  
Sirius caught the direction of Harry's gaze and put his arm over his shoulder and ruffled his hair.  
  
"It's completely empty now, huh?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yeah, bud, it is."  
  
"Do you think there will be a new 'keeper of keys and grounds'?"  
  
"I don't think so. I think it was a job Dumbledore gave Hagrid just to keep him around and out of trouble. He did it because he loved him. Anyway, there will never be a groundskeeper as good as Hagrid was. He was so big he could tackle any beast that tried to get onto the grounds. He really was perfect for the job."  
  
Harry smiled sadly, "But there will be a new care of magical creatures professor."  
  
"Yeah, there will be. I think she's already been hired."  
  
"Do you know who it is?"  
  
"No, but I guess she taught you once already, she showed you the unicorns?"  
  
Harry nodded remembering that teacher.  
  
"One more question," Harry said.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"What's going to happen to fang?"  
  
"Who's Fang?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Hagrid's dog...he's big, but he's a wimp."  
  
"Maybe we could keep him...would you like that?"  
  
Harry nodded and then continued to look longingly at Hagrid's old hut.  
  
The carriages then came and Harry had to pry himself away from the sight.  
  
With a little effort, they got everyone, even Remus and his wheelchair into one carriage and set off down the road towards Hogsmead. It had been months since Harry had last been there, and he couldn't help but look out the window and reminisce about what he use to do there. He noted that Honeydukes no longer had a sign up and the windows were covered in boards. It looked just like the shrieking shack.  
  
Again Sirius noted the sad look that set on Harry's face and he ran his fingers over Harry's messy hair. Harry didn't even seem to notice.  
  
He looked over at Ron and Hermione whispering in each others ears and realized how out of the loop he was. It was probably his own fault too, but that didn't matter to Harry. He just felt left out and it rather upset him. He tried to forget it and continued to watch the world go by outside his window.  
  
The carriage took them to a part of Hogsmead that Harry had never been to before. They were in front of a large church and could see the cemetery in the back. This was where Hagrid would be laid to rest for all eternity. That thought alone brought the tears back to Harry's eyes, but again he prevented them from falling.  
  
The group filed out of the carriage and stepped inside the church. It was very large, but it didn't need to be. There were very few people scattered throughout the church. It then occurred to Harry that Hagrid died without having any family whatsoever. Harry and his friends were the closest thing to family he had. They were alike in that way, Hagrid and Harry. Harry just hoped that his funeral, whenever it may be, had more people than that. He wanted someone to at least notice he was gone.  
  
Harry led the pack to the front of the church where they sat in the very first pew. He bowed his head and sat in silence waiting for the ceremony to begin, the whole time thinking about how he should have spent more time with Hagrid. He was beating himself down. Sirius saw it, but decided to confront that problem later. He spent the time thinking of his own past with the late Hagrid.  
  
Finally the ceremony began and Dumbledore walked to the alter of the church where he gave a beautiful sermon about Hagrid's life. He chronicled it perfectly, leaving out the bad and telling all the good. It was clear how hard it was for Dumbledore to stay composed through the entire thing, but he managed. Harry saw the tears in his eyes as he spoke.  
  
He told of how Hagrid had always been reliable, though he always had his own way of doing things. He also discussed Hagrid's loyalty to himself and to his friends. He topped it off with some humorous stories about Hagrid in his first year at Hogwarts, and about Hagrid as a teacher. It ended with everyone present no longer feeling sad about his death, but happy about the memories of him. It was closure for most of them, but not for Harry.  
  
The stories Dumbledore told only made Harry miss Hagrid more. He was fighting back tears for the rest of the ceremony and couldn't wait to get out of the church. When it was all over he stood up quickly and headed for the exit, but Sirius stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.  
  
Harry gave him a questioning look and Sirius said, "Now's your chance to pay your respects, bud. If you still want to. You can get in line over there." He pointed in the direction of a small line of people in front of a giant casket. Harry nodded, looking sadder by the second and got in line. Ron and Hermione followed him, and Remus and Sirius came up behind them. It didn't take long before it was Harry's turn and he stepped up to the casket.  
  
It was open and Harry for the last time looked at the friendly giants big face. He had a smile on his lips and his eyes showed wrinkles from that smile. Harry couldn't bring himself to understand why Hagrid could be smiling in death. It just didn't make sense. He noticed that Hagrid's usual tangled mass of hair and beard no longer was in complete disarray. Someone, probably the funeral director, had combed it out. It angered Harry to see him like that, it wasn't Hagrid.  
  
Harry's grief turned to anger and he wanted to kick something, anything. The closest thing was the casket, but Harry knew he couldn't kick Hagrid's casket. He turned and left before saying a word to Hagrid. Tears had started streaming down his face. He ran out of the church.  
  
Not missing a beat Sirius ran out behind him. When he got outside he saw Harry angrily kicking a tree. He stepped up close enough so that Harry knew he was there, but decided to let him take out all of his anger on the tree before getting too close. Harry needed to let it all out first.  
  
Sirius could see his anger slowly dissipating with every kick at the tree, until it was gone. With one final kick Harry crumbled to the ground in misery. It was now time for Sirius to take action. He knelt down on the ground next to Harry and pulled him close, slowly rocking him back and forth. Harry sobbed into his neck.  
  
"It's not right Sirius! It's not right!"  
  
"I know bud, I know...but it happened. There's nothing you can do but accept it."  
  
Harry nodded but mumbled, "I don't know if I can accept it Sirius. I was so-so mad in there!"  
  
"I know, I know, I could see that."  
  
Harry dried his eyes but he still looked miserable. Sirius pulled him to his feet and said, "C'mon bud, walk with me."  
  
Sirius put his arm over Harry's shoulder in a fatherly way and walked him through the cemetery.  
  
"I haven't been here in a while," he said. "Over there is where my parents are buried." He brought Harry up to the two headstones, side by side. Orion and Julia Black were there names. Harry didn't know why but he was overcome by sadness at the sight of their graves. Sirius didn't seem affected by it at all. Though he had had a long time to grieve their deaths.  
  
Sirius pulled him away from the graves and they walked a short distance more where they came to another set of graves side by side. Mr. And Mrs. Lupin. "Remus's parents." Sirius said quietly.  
  
Harry nodded. "Why are you showing me these, Sirius?"  
  
"I don't know really...there is a couple that I really want you to see, though. This way," he said. "I've only been able to come to these a couple of times." He stopped in front of the pair and Harry's heart caught in his throat. James and Lily Potter.  
  
"My...my parents?"  
  
Sirius nodded and pushed Harry forward a little. Harry then walked a few steps closer on his own. He looked brilliantly happy for a moment and then he just vanished.  
  
"What the f...!" Sirius said, ready to scream. He didn't know what had just happened. What he did know, however, was that chances were very good that Harry was in some very serious danger.  
  
Sirius's first thought was to run and get Dumbledore, but he thought that would take too much time. Rather he sent permanent red sparks up over the grave so someone would know that something dangerous had just happened. He then did exactly what Harry had done. Not knowing whether or not it would work. Thankfully, it did. Sirius found himself in the graveyard one second and then immediately somewhere else. He looked around and saw Harry wandering around near a crumpled old house.  
  
"Sirius!" he yelled, running up to him. "Where are we? What happened?"  
  
"I don't know what happened Harry," Sirius said swallowing hard, "But I know where we are. Godric's Hollow. That," he said pointing to the ruins of the house, "used to be your home."  
  
"You mean...this is where...where they died?"  
  
Sirius nodded, choked up at the site. He had forgotten how awful the house looked after what Voldemort did, and hoped he would never have to see it like that again. It was a wonder it hadn't been picked up and cleared away.  
  
"Why-why do you think we're here?"  
  
"I dunno bud, but I don't think this is good. Get your wand ready."  
  
Harry did as commanded, but gave Sirius a strange look. "You think we're going to be attacked, don't you?"  
  
Sirius looked at Harry for a moment and then nodded. "I don't think it...I know it. Come here!" he yelled, grabbing Harry's arm and pulling him out of the line of a curse. Deatheaters were filing out of the woods behind the remains of his house. Sirius pulled Harry behind his back and started firing curses at the deatheaters, causing many to fall over, stunned. There were too many, however, and they kept advancing. Sirius kept fighting them, though. One by one going down at the point of his wand. Harry marveled at the skill with which he did it. Sirius must have been well trained before the misunderstanding with his parents deaths.  
  
By the time Sirius had gotten over half of the deatheaters, they stopped firing at him. Sirius stopped too, transfixed by their odd behavior. He soon knew the source of it, though, as Voldemort suddenly appeared in front of them.  
  
"Sirius Black, what an honor it is to see you again," he hissed sarcastically. "You ran away like a child so soon last time we met, that I didn't have a chance to get rid of you...what a shame. I guess I'll have to do that today. But first," he hissed, turning to Harry, "I'm going to get rid of him."  
  
"You will not touch a hair on his head!" Sirius yelled angrily.  
  
"Is that so?" Voldemort said with his traditional high pitched cackle. He stopped suddenly and glared at Sirius. He pointed his wand at Sirius, muttered something and in a matter of seconds Sirius was at least fifty yards from Harry, bound and gagged.  
  
"Sirius!" he yelled in vain.  
  
"He can't help you know Potter. It's just you and me. Just like last year, wouldn't you say? Only this time you won't be getting away."  
  
Harry glared defiantly at Voldemort but didn't say anything.  
  
"I bet you were wondering why you're here, and not somewhere else. Last year I took you to my fathers grave...this time I decided I'd try this where it was supposed to end the first time. This is where your parents died and you should have. This time I will not allow any mistakes. This will be the last time you see your precious Godfather, Potter. The last time you will see the light of day." He then pointed his wand at Harry.  
  
It soon became clear that they wouldn't be playing around this time. Usually Voldemort would pull something before flat out trying to kill Harry. This time it looked like he was going to go straight to work killing Harry.  
  
Quickly Harry looked to Sirius and saw him struggling against his bindings, but there was nothing he could do. Harry wished he could yell to him and tell him to stop struggling, tell him there was nothing he could do, but he couldn't find the energy. He was too scared.  
  
Then, Harry looked straight ahead at Lord Voldemort and glared defiantly. He pulled out his wand and yelled all the curses he could think of. Each seemed to affect him for a second, especially the jelly-legs, but Voldemort ended up just laughing at Harry's unsuccessful efforts  
  
Harry felt ashamed, and gave up. He just stood there facing the dark lord.  
  
"Are those supposed to be curses Potter? Is that what Dumbledore is teaching you in his precious school? Well it's not enough is it Potter? Maybe you should have learned this one...Crucio!"  
  
"Not again," Harry thought to himself as he fell to the ground in sheer agony. He heard a yell from Sirius, but heard a lot more from himself. Voldemort held the curse on him for about 30 seconds and then took it off.  
  
"That was fun, wasn't it Potter? Do you want some more?"  
  
"No, please no," Harry cried.  
  
"Too bad, Potter! If you had just let me kill you last year we wouldn't be doing this now, would we? I didn't think so. Crucio!"  
  
Harry was then rolling on the floor again. He was ready to black out. Voldemort kept taking the curse off and then putting it back on him. Harry thought it would never end.  
  
Meanwhile, there was a procession of mourners trailing solemnly through the cemetery. Hagrid's casket was being carried by a record ten pallbearers. It was actually rather comical to see, everyone present had to admit. But they held their laughter, as laughing at a funeral procession shows great disrespect, and everyone respected Hagrid greatly. Dumbledore was at the head of the procession and he held up his hands as he stepped towards Lily and James Potter's gravesites and saw the red sparks floating above them. Everyone stopped, and the pallbearers had to lower Hagrid's casket to the ground. Dumbledore examined the area and noticed a slight shimmer on the grass in front of the graves. The shimmer could only mean one thing, a transporter was directly over the graves. Harry and Sirius must have been sucked into it, that would explain their absence from the procession. Dumbledore didn't want to think what danger they could be in right then, but had to force himself to.  
  
First, however, he made an announcement. "Everyone must steer clear of this plot of land. It is very dangerous. Take great care to avoid stepping anywhere near it. I must stop here, the rest of you must go on. All of you," he said this last bit looking directly at Ron, Hermione and Remus.  
  
They all did what they were told and Dumbledore waited until they were far away before stepping onto the transporter himself. His suspicions were correct and he was taken to a familiar house, one that he had not seen in a long time.  
  
However, he didn't have time to look around him as he heard screaming coming from behind. He turned and saw Harry writhing in the grass, his face contorted in pain. Tears were streaming down the poor boys face. He looked past the tortured boy at Sirius and found him in tears as well. Fighting with all his might to escape his bindings. Before Dumbledore was directly noticed he shot a counter-curse at Sirius, freeing him. Sirius jumped to his feet and ran to Dumbledore's side. At this point Voldemort again took the curse off Harry and turned to Dumbledore and Sirius.  
  
"So we have another visitor, do we? Hello Albus, would you like to go before or after Black?  
  
"You will never get me, Tom, no matter how hard you try."  
  
"Is that so? Well we'll see about that...though I promised Potter here he'd be first. Lord Voldemort doesn't break his promises....crucio!" Again he sent the painful curse at Harry, and again Harry held on, but just barely. This time Voldemort didn't take it off until he was forced to.  
  
Dumbledore raised his wand and said something neither Harry, Sirius, or most of the deatheaters had ever heard before, "Finite powreos!" Suddenly, with that spell the curse was let off Harry. Voldemort tried to put it back on him, but he could not. Dumbledore had just temporarily stopped Lord Voldemort's magical power.  
  
Then, Dumbledore went at Voldemort with power no one had ever seen before. Slowly he started taking him out, spell by spell. He was saying incantations so quickly that no one could decipher one from the next. Harry stood up weakly and watched his headmaster in awe.  
  
Suddenly Dumbledore laughed, "Tom, you are once again a human being...how does that make you feel? You've built yourself up to be superhuman, but now you're no stronger than anyone here. Do you still think you can win?"  
  
"If I get Potter, then I win," he said, in a much weaker voice than he had previously been speaking in. He no longer seemed like a threat. But Harry knew he was still dangerous. Just like his soul in Professor Quirrel's body, his teenage form and his newly reincarnated self. The battle wasn't over yet, not by a long shot.  
  
"Don't even try it Tom," Dumbledore commanded. Voldemort laughed in his face.  
  
"You hold no command over me! You did once, but that all ended when I left your horrid institution."  
  
Dumbledore just sighed, annoyed. "There's only one more thing I have to say to you Tom, Avada Kedavra!"  
  
At the exact same instant, however, Voldemort pointed his wand at the helpless Harry and said the exact same words. Apparently Dumbledore's finite powreos spell was over. Sirius watched in horror as the ray of bright green light sped towards his godson, hit him in the chest and knocked him over. Harry and Voldemort hit the ground at the exact same time.  
  
"No!" Sirius yelled and he ran to his fallen godson. He dropped to his knees beside his limp body and started crying like there was no tomorrow. "Harry! Harry! No! Harry!" Sirius's sobs were heart wrenching. Dumbledore watched with tears streaming down his own face as Sirius picked up Harry's limp body and hugged him to him. He rocked the motionless body back and forth and buried his face in Harry's hair as he cried. He muttered his name over and over through his sobs. Slowly shaking his head.  
  
Dumbledore watched the deatheaters who were still around leave quickly, and didn't care to stop them. The fight was over. Voldemort was gone for good this time. Yet Dumbledore thought Voldemort was right, he had won. He had claimed the life of Harry Potter. Something he had sought to do for fourteen years.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
So...(author bites lip in worry) what did you...er...think? Now please remember what I said, this story is not over. Next chapter or two may hold some surprises, that you'll either love or hate...but please don't shun sarahpeach for what she just wrote and keep on reading! Thanks : ) Oh yes, and please review, but I repeat, no flames!!!! If you're mad, say so kindly...just promise not to make me cry! 


	29. Chapter 29

I really wanted to do review reviews this time, but I just don't have the time! I only revised this once too, so I'm sorry if there are still a lot of mistakes...Anyway, I enjoyed writing this chapter a whole lot. I think most of you will like it. Please don't forget to review! Oh yeah, and this should have been up yesterday, but fanfiction, net was being a pain in the ass and didn't let me upload it. So without further ado, here it is:  
  
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Sirius would not let Harry go. Dumbledore knelt next to him and put a hand on Sirius's shoulder as he wept into Harry's hair.  
  
"Please, God, no!" He muttered over and over again.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Sirius," Dumbledore whispered.  
  
Sirius nodded his head but didn't look up. He just continued begging into Harry's hair for him to be okay. Sirius wasn't giving up though. He squeezed Harry to him tighter and tighter.  
  
A soft moaning sound came from somewhere as Sirius squeezed tighter. Dumbledore thought it was Sirius and Sirius thought it was Dumbledore making the noise.  
  
"Owww..." was heard after that and Dumbledore looked into Sirius's face and found an expression of shock. Neither of them had made that noise. Sirius let up on his tight hold on Harry for a moment and looked at his face. His eyes were squinted shut in a look of utmost pain. This was not the look he had had earlier. Sirius laughed curiously and gently brushed back the hair on Harry's head. Slowly Harry opened his eyes and focused on Sirius's face.  
  
Sirius laughed in shock. "Harry? Harry! You're okay?!"  
  
Harry nodded lethargically. "Sirius," he whispered.  
  
"Yeah, Harry?"  
  
"My head hurts," he mumbled.  
  
Sirius laughed at this, laughed hysterically and hugged Harry closer to his chest. Tears were still streaming down his face, but now they were tears of joy, not pain. Harry looked confused at the sight of the tears.  
  
"What happened?" he asked in a strained voice. It was obvious that the ordeal had exhausted him.  
  
"We won, Harry, we won."  
  
Harry gave a half smile and nodded. Slowly he closed his eyes and drifted back into unconsciousness.  
  
Dumbledore then came forward and examined Harry. Particularly the back of his head as that's where he said it hurt. He found it to be bleeding quite severely.  
  
"Sirius, this head wound is very bad. We need to apply pressure to it immediately and get him back to the castle."  
  
Again, Sirius looked panicked. Dumbledore saw that he was going to have to do it all himself.  
  
"Give me the boy, Sirius."  
  
This time Sirius let him go. Dumbledore removed Harry's cloak and rolled it up. As he was doing so something fell out of the chest pocket. Before dealing with Harry's wound Dumbledore bent down to inspect the fallen object. It was a dead toad. It then hit him what had happened. The curse had hit the toad, not Harry. The power of curse was what knocked him over and the impact with the ground caused him to pass out. It was miraculous.  
  
Dumbledore shook his head in amazement and then set to work on tying the cloak tightly around Harry's head. When he was done he turned again to Sirius whose head was buried in his hands. Tears were leaking out between his fingers.  
  
"Sirius, we need to go now."  
  
Sirius nodded and got to his feet. "I'll carry Harry."  
  
"Very good, I think I'm a bit too old to take that responsibility anyhow. We'll apparate back to the graveyard. I imagine Remus and the others will be anxiously awaiting your return."  
  
Sirius nodded grabbed tightly to Harry and with tears still slipping down his face left Godric's Hollow and returned to the graveyard. Again in front of his old friends graves, he looked around and saw Remus, Ron and Hermione a little ways down the path. Hermione came running and Ron pushed Remus in his wheel chair at a quick pace. They all stopped dead though when they got within a couple yards of him.  
  
"Oh my God," Remus muttered. "He's not-he's not dead...is he?"  
  
Sirius smiled broadly and shook his head. Tears flew off his cheeks as he did so. "He's going to be just fine."  
  
Remus wasn't sure if he should believe him or not, but when Dumbledore popped into the area with a broad smile too, he knew it was legit.  
  
"What happened?" he asked.  
  
"Tell you later Rem, right now we need to take care of a big cut on Harry's head."  
  
They all nodded, but before they took off Dumbledore reached into his pocket and held out the dead toad for Ron and Hermione to see. "Do you by any chance know this toad?"  
  
They both examined it and then Ron said, "Yeah, that's Trevor. Neville's toad. What happened to him?"  
  
"He saved Harry's life."  
  
Ron and Hermione gave him curious looks but he didn't elaborate. Rather he set off on the path towards the center of Hogsmead where they'd catch the carriages back to the castle.  
  
Sirius was still crying when they reached the castle, and he continued to cry as they brought him to the hospital wing, and as Madam Pomfrey healed Harry's head. He was going to need lots of bed rest due to the extreme amount of time he had spent under the Cruciatus Curse, but Sirius didn't care. Harry was going to be alright. And for that he could cry those tears of joy for all eternity.  
  
Yet, he managed to stop. After everything had been taken care of Sirius sat by Harry's bed and watched him sleep. Everyone else had left. Remus, still looking for answers needed rest before he could get them, so he went to bed. Dumbledore forced Ron and Hermione to go back to classes, but really only so Sirius could have the time he needed alone with Harry. Dumbledore himself went to his office to try to figure out how to tell the ministry of magic exactly what had happened. It would be difficult considering that Fudge never believed the fact that Voldemort had been resurrected in the first place.  
  
So Sirius just sat there, all alone, running his hands over Harry's hair gently. He noticed that the scar on Harry's forehead no longer stood out so much. It looked more like an ordinary scar than it had ever before. He touched it lightly and found that it was the same temperature as the rest of his skin. It had always been slightly different than the rest of his forehead. Sirius smiled to himself.  
  
Harry was finally going to be a normal kid. Sirius had promised him it was going to happen, and now, that promise was going to come true. Sirius was ecstatic.  
  
He sat there for hours watching Harry and never once felt tired or restless. He was more content just then than he had ever been before in his life. He no longer had to worry about what would happen to Harry, Harry was going to be just fine.  
  
It had been seven hours since Harry had had his head healed when he finally woke up. He woke in increments. First his lips started twitching. Then he yawned. Sirius smiled as he saw it happen. Harry then squinted his eyes and then very slowly opened them.  
  
His eyes slowly focused on Sirius's face and he noticed that Sirius was beaming like mad.  
  
"Hi," he mumbled.  
  
"Hey Bud, how you feeling?"  
  
"Everything...hurts."  
  
"I bet. You went through a lot today. I-I thought I had lost you there, Harry. I thought you were dead today."  
  
"Did I almost die?" he muttered.  
  
Sirius nodded, tears again swimming in his eyes. "Just as Dumbledore said "Avada Kedavra", Voldemort said the same thing...to you. I saw the curse hit you...and you fell over. That's when I lost it." Sirius said, again losing it and pulling Harry towards him. Harry sucked in his breath in pain and Sirius immediately pulled back. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you."  
  
"A little," Harry whispered. "I'm okay though."  
  
"Yeah you are okay," Sirius said beaming through the tears.  
  
"But...Sirius? How-how did I survive this time?"  
  
"You know that cloak I gave you?" Sirius asked grinning and wiping his eyes.  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"Well apparently it belonged to Neville. His pet toad was in the pocket and the curse hit him not you. The power of the curse knocked you out, but it didn't hit you. Understand?"  
  
"Yeah...so, so kinda, I survived the curse again, right?"  
  
Sirius nodded animatedly and he brushed his hand over Harry's head.  
  
"I was so scared I lost you bud. I was so scared," he whispered, the tears falling like rain.  
  
"I'm sorry..." Harry said.  
  
"No, don't be sorry. You never have to be sorry for anything like this! I'm just so happy, so happy you're okay! Voldemort's gone now bud, all you're problems are gone!"  
  
Harry looked up at Sirius and grinned. Tears started rolling down his cheeks as well and he tried to push himself up in bed, but failed. Sirius helped him and then pulled Harry into a gentle hug. He felt Harry hug back and they stayed like that for a long time. Both crying tears of joy for the defeat of Voldemort and the continuation of Harry's life, as well as tears of pain for all they had been through. They took comfort in each other's presence. After awhile their tears ran dry.  
  
Sirius helped Harry lean back against the headboard and then leant against it himself. He put his arm over Harry's shoulder and pulled him close. Harry rested his head against Sirius's shoulder and fell back to sleep. Sirius watched him for a while before letting the exhaustion consume him as well.  
  
By the time they had fallen asleep, though, everyone else was just coming to visit. Remus managed to get himself all the way to the chair next to the bed all on his own. He was very proud of this accomplishment and sat smiling at the two. They really looked like father and son. Sirius's arm was wrapped securely over Harry's shoulder. Harry sleeping contently with his head leaning against Sirius's chest. Remus sat there for a while, watching them when Ron and Hermione came in to visit as well.  
  
"How are they doing?" Hermione whispered.  
  
"I don't know, they've been sleeping since I've been here...but they look pretty happy, don't they?"  
  
Ron and Hermione both nodded. It had been a while since they had seen Harry looking that content.  
  
Next, Dumbledore came strolling in. He quietly told the three all the events of the day, as they had missed out on a lot of it.  
  
"So that's how Trevor saved Harry's life...I had no idea what you were talking about earlier," Hermione said.  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "Well, when they wake up if you wouldn't mind sending Sirius to my office, I'd appreciate it. Although I imagine it will be hard to pry him away from poor Mr. Potter here."  
  
"Will do, Albus," Remus said. Dumbledore then left the room. The others stayed sitting where they were and watched Sirius and Harry sleep like it was the hottest new TV show. Suddenly though, Harry thrashed. They all breathed in sharply and looked at him more intently. He did it again, this time waking Sirius out of his sound sleep.  
  
Then, he started mumbling. "No...No...Please no! Stop!" He continued on like this for a good minute or so. Sirius was trying to shake him awake, but nothing seemed to work. Harry was now starting to scream softly. He seemed terrified. Sirius dug through his pockets trying to find his wand, but he couldn't get it.  
  
"Give me a wand!" he yelled.  
  
Hermione pulled hers out and he ripped it from her hand.  
  
"Enervate!"  
  
Harry's eyes snapped open and he stopped screaming. He was breathing heavily and leaned his head back against Sirius shoulder and buried his face in Sirius's side. Sirius hugged him close.  
  
"What happened bud?" he whispered.  
  
A couple of seconds passed before he spoke, "I relived what happened today...only this time Dumbledore didn't show up. And when...and when...no...in between the curses he sent at me...he...he killed you. Sirius, he killed you."  
  
"It was just a dream, Harry. I'm fine, you're fine, we're all fine."  
  
"I know...it just...scared me."  
  
"It's alright Harry, nothing like that will ever happen. Voldemort's gone."  
  
A smile broke out over Harry's scared face. "He's gone," he whispered.  
  
"Gone, gone, gone!" Sirius laughed. Harry did too and Remus, Ron and Hermione all gave them strange looks. Sirius and Harry could care less and continued to laugh happily about it.  
  
Harry had to stop laughing sooner than Sirius, though, because he was still in a lot of pain and laughing only made it hurt worse. He had a sour look on his face when he stopped laughing because of it.  
  
"Hey are you okay bud?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, it just still hurts...allover."  
  
"I'm so sorry you had to go through that...again."  
  
Harry nodded. "It's alright...he's gone now," Harry said with another smile.  
  
"Gone, gone, gone," Sirius joked again.  
  
"Don't make me laugh Sirius," he said trying hard not to.  
  
Sirius nodded and turned to the others. "So how long have you guys been sitting around in here?"  
  
"About an hour," Hermione said, looking at her watch.  
  
"You looked so cute like that," Remus said mockingly.  
  
Sirius blushed slightly and threw a pillow at his friend.  
  
Remus just laughed in response. He was getting a lot better, Sirius noted as he watched his friend.  
  
"By the way, Sirius, Dumbledore wanted to see you in his office. He stopped by here and asked us to tell you."  
  
"If it's important he'll come back down. I'm not going there right now."  
  
"Sirius, I'm okay now. You can go, I don't mind. It could be important."  
  
"Are you sure you'll be alright?"  
  
Harry nodded, "And if I'm not, these guys are here, they can get Madam Pomfrey and then you. The school isn't that big."  
  
"Fine, I'll go. Just, be careful Harry."  
  
"Sirius, I'm stuck in a bed in the hospital wing...what could I possibly do?"  
  
"I know you...you could find something."  
  
"Well I won't, I promise."  
  
"Okay, I'll be back," Sirius said removing his arm from Harry's shoulders and climbing off the bed. He walked hurriedly through the school to Dumbledore's office. The door was open when he got there. He peered inside and watched Dumbledore for a moment. He was stroking Fawkes the phoenix, looking very pensive. Sirius knocked on the door frame to make his presence known.  
  
"Sirius, come in," Dumbledore said, smiling brightly. "Please shut the door behind you. I have important business to speak with you about."  
  
Sirius nodded and shut the door after he stepped inside. He took a seat in front of Dumbledore's desk and asked, "What's up?"  
  
Dumbledore smiled and shook his head. Sirius was still so young at heart. Dumbledore wasn't sure he was ready to do what he was about to be asked. "Sirius, I've recently decided that it's my time to leave this school. I have been here for well over sixty years of my life, and I think it's time to finally go into retirement."  
  
"Because Voldemort's dead?"  
  
Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"Well what if another dark wizard pops up in his place. The Malfoy's are still alive aren't they? Who's going to protect the school from them?"  
  
"Well, I was thinking about having my grandson take over."  
  
"You have a grandson? Who is it?"  
  
Dumbledore looked squarely at Sirius with that familiar twinkle in his eyes and said, "You."  
  
"Huh?!" Sirius exclaimed.  
  
"You, Sirius Black, are my grandson. I would like for you to take my place as headmaster of this school."  
  
"I'm...you're? You're my grandfather? But I knew my grandparents...you weren't one of them."  
  
"No, Sirius, I wasn't one of the grandparents you knew. You see, the man who you thought was your father really wasn't. Your real father died before you were even born...that's my son. Your mother remarried soon after and took the last name Black, and gave it to you as well. I think she felt guilty about remarrying so soon, so she decided to cut me out of all of your lives. That's why she never told you, the truth, and I decided that it was best to respect her wishes. Now, though, I thought it was time for you to know the truth."  
  
Sirius looked down and pinched his nose. This was too surreal for him. He had lived almost forty years believing something that was a horrible lie.  
  
"But...what about Sorai?"  
  
"Ah, yes, the grandchild I was actually allowed to see. Yes, your mother decided to change her last name from Dumbledore to Black when she remarried, too. You are both my grandchildren."  
  
Sirius just sat in his seat and shook his head. "I can't believe this."  
  
"I'm sorry, Sirius, but it is the truth. And I can tell you that although you grew up believing a lie, I couldn't think of a better man to raise you than the one you thought was your father. He was my own sons best friend when they were young. He was a good man. He did a good job."  
  
Sirius looked down and kept shaking his head.  
  
"So what do you say?" Dumbledore asked, almost nervously.  
  
Sirius looked up sharply. "About what? About my entire life being a lie?!"  
  
"That was not my fault, Sirius. I was simply following your parent's wishes. I'm asking what you think about taking over for me."  
  
"Why me, Albus? What do I know about running a school? I can barely run my class right! Why didn't you ask Professor McGonagall?"  
  
"Minerva, I know, does not wish to be Headmistress of this school. I talked to her about it long ago. She would prefer to stay Deputy Headmistress for as long as she can. I want you to do this, Sirius, because I know you can. You can bring a wave of youth and fun to this school, that I never dreamed possible. The children can both respect you and like you."  
  
"They respect and like you too, Albus."  
  
"I know this, but I am past my prime. The only reason I've been here as long as I have was to protect the children against Voldemort. They no longer need that. I want you to be the one to protect them against whoever may pop up in the future. Will you be my successor?"  
  
"I don't know, Albus...I don't know how to run a school."  
  
"Ah, it's a piece of cake, really. And I'll be here until the end of this year. I'll show you how it's done."  
  
Sirius sat thinking for a few minutes and then started laughing.  
  
"What is so funny, Sirius?"  
  
"Imagine Snape's face when he finds out I'm the headmaster!"  
  
Dumbledore couldn't help but chuckle as well. It would be rather comical. "Does this mean you'll accept the position?"  
  
Sirius nodded.  
  
Dumbledore beamed at him.  
  
"I have one question though. Since you were...are...my grandfather...did you ever really believe that I did all the things I was imprisoned for?"  
  
Dumbledore looked pensive for a moment and then nodded his head, "Yes I did. I always thought you betraying Lily and James seemed fishy...but I did believe it to be true. All the facts pointed to you. It hurt to believe it, but I admit, I did. And I definitely believed the story about killing Peter and the other muggles. You always had a temper Sirius, and it was impossible to control. Your father was the same way. I truly believed that you did that. That is, until you told me otherwise. I never believed you to be a liar, Sirius."  
  
Sirius nodded, showing he understood and then said, "I want to get back to Harry, now, I'll talk to you more about this later...but I guess, my answer is yes. I'll take your place...grandpa," Sirius said with a smirk.  
  
Dumbledore just smiled, "Goodbye Sirius."  
  
Sirius walked back to the hospital wing slowly, contemplating what Dumbledore just told him. It was so hard to believe that Dumbledore was his grandfather. Though it explained a lot. For example, it explained why he fought so hard to help Sirius get his freedom, why he was the only one who knew how to get Sirius to snap back into reality after Remus's trial, and why after the incident in the shrieking shack he gave Sirius a chance to explain rather than immediately sticking a deatheater on him.  
  
For some reason the knowledge of it all put him in a great mood. He strode back into the hospital wing beaming.  
  
"What happened Sirius?" Harry asked, noticing the happy look on his godfathers face. It was now just Remus and Harry in the room, so Sirius felt he could tell them everything that happened.  
  
"You're looking at the new Headmaster of Hogwarts!"  
  
Both of their jaws dropped wide open. Sirius laughed.  
  
"Dumbledore's retiring and he wants me to replace him. I told him I'd do it. What do you guys think?"  
  
"Why would Dumbledore ask you to do it?" Remus asked in awe that the former marauder was now going to be running the school.  
  
"Something about wanting his grandson to do the job."  
  
Again wide open mouths.  
  
"What do you mean, grandson?" Harry asked.  
  
"Yeah, apparently my dad wasn't my dad. My real dad is Dumbledore's son...he just told me."  
  
Remus looked curiously at Sirius, "You're okay with that?"  
  
"Yeah, you would think it would upset me a little...but it really didn't bother me at all. I mean at first it did...I've been lied to since I was born...but it's okay."  
  
"I'm happy for you Sir," Remus said smiling. "You have more family left than you thought."  
  
Sirius nodded, "You two are enough though."  
  
"So as the new headmaster, I expect to never get detentions or house points taken away, understood?" Harry joked.  
  
"Oh we'll see about that Mr. Potter. If you stick one toe out of line....you'll be in my office so fast!"  
  
Harry laughed, "I think Snape said something like that to me once."  
  
"I'm going to go wash my mouth out with soap now!" Sirius said starting to walk away. Harry grabbed the edge of Sirius's dress robes and held him back. Sirius smiled at him and sat at the edge of his bed.  
  
"Next years going to be awesome," Harry said wistfully.  
  
"So will the rest of this one. Once you heal up...once you both heal up. How are you feeling, by the way, Moony?"  
  
"Much better. I can even walk a little more on my own without my legs giving way. I think a little bit after the full moon I'll be well enough to get out of here."  
  
"How about the memories?"  
  
Remus's face darkened slightly. "They're lessening...but I still have them. I can't imagine how you got through it in the environment you were in, Padfoot...I couldn't have handled that."  
  
"Yeah, but I had to keep looking to the future, if you recall I had a lot going through my head at that time...I had to protect my godson from the evil rat."  
  
"Wait...whatever did happen to Pettigrew?" Harry asked curiously.  
  
"He's dead," Remus said dully.  
  
"How do you know?" Sirius asked.  
  
"I saw him die...he was moved into a cell near mine...we both needed 'high security.' It didn't take too long for him to kick the bucket...heart attack."  
  
Sirius nodded, "He deserved worse."  
  
"I agree," Remus added. Harry chose not to comment on his feelings towards the news of Wormtail's death. He was simply surprised that it had never occurred to him to inquire about Peter's fate after the prison had been broken into.  
  
Remus yawned and Sirius went into Mother Hen mode, "Rem, you must be exhausted! It's been a big day for you. You should get back to bed and rest up. Full moon's tomorrow night. Snape's going to make the Wolfsbane, but you still can't outdo yourself, alright. Here, I'll help you back to your bed." Sirius stood up and walked over to Remus.  
  
"I'm fine Sirius, really...it was just a yawn."  
  
"Moony, I can't let you do this to yourself. You're tired, I can see it...you need to rest!"  
  
Remus knew it would be pointless to fight, and he figured a nap wouldn't hurt him, so he resigned to going back to his bed. He stood on his own and was going to attempt to go back on his own, but Sirius put his arm around him and guided him there. Again he chose not to fight it. Sirius had been through enough that day, he didn't need anymore arguments.  
  
After Sirius had gotten his friend tucked away he returned to Harry's side. Harry, who had been sitting upright, was now bent over, fast asleep. His head was on his knees and his arms flailed out at his sides. Sirius laughed at the sight of him and then tried to twist him into a better position. Once Harry at least looked comfortable Sirius dragged a chair close and rested his elbows on the edge of the bed. Again he simply watched his godson sleep.  
  
Sirius was ready to fall asleep as well when he heard a soft, "Ahem." He looked up to see Neville Longbottom standing in the doorway of the hospital wing. Sirius smiled softly and motioned for him to come forward. Neville took a seat next to Sirius.  
  
"You heard about your pet, I guess?" Sirius asked.  
  
Neville nodded.  
  
Sirius didn't really know what to say, so he mumbled an apology, "I'm sorry I stole your cloak."  
  
"It's alright."  
  
"And I'm sorry about...Trevor was his name?"  
  
Neville nodded.  
  
"He saved Harry's life, you know? He's a heroic toad," Sirius said, having a hard time not laughing at what he just said.  
  
Again Neville just nodded solemnly.  
  
"Ah...I'm also sorry about stealing your passwords and getting you in trouble back when I was still on the run."  
  
"It's fine Professor Black."  
  
"Okay..." Sirius said starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. Neville must have had some reason for coming.  
  
"Ummm...I wanted to thank you...for two things really."  
  
"What's that?" Sirius asked curiously.  
  
"First for putting me in charge yesterday...when that thing happened with Harry. Why'd you pick me?"  
  
"I thought you were the only one who wouldn't immediately say class dismissed, like I would have done when I was in school. I knew you'd do a good job keeping everyone under control. You did, right?"  
  
Neville nodded. "I also wanted to thank you for stealing my cloak."  
  
Sirius smiled in bewilderment, "Why?"  
  
"Well...umm...I'm usually considered...a wimp...but now I-I sort of helped defeat Voldemort, you know? That's the closest to a hero I'll ever be."  
  
"I doubt that Neville...you have a lot of potential, you just have to find some way to direct it...and you're welcome. You're not upset about Trevor?"  
  
"Not really...he always went missing anyways...maybe now that I've lost him for a good reason, my grandmother will get me an owl."  
  
"Good luck with that, Neville."  
  
Neville nodded.  
  
"You should get to bed now, Neville. Almost time for curfew...don't want Filch or Snape to catch you."  
  
A look of abject fear over came him and he belted out of the room. Sirius laughed to himself at the sight and then went back to Harry gazing. For once he was looking at his godson and feeling no worry at all. He now knew, knew for certain, that Harry was going to be alright. He no longer had to constantly worry about his well-being, he would be fine.  
  
Suddenly, though, a worried thoughts ran through Sirius's mind. What if now, with Voldemort gone, Harry no longer needed him? What help could he possibly be for Harry from that point on? Sirius soon got his answer.  
  
Just like earlier that day Harry started thrashing in his sleep and then burst awake in fright. Another nightmare. Sirius helped Harry through it and then got him to fall back asleep.  
  
Sirius soon started dozing off too. The last thing he thought was, "I'm still needed."  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, so another cheesy ending, huh? Well that's not the end of the story. Still to come is a Sirius Christmas and maybe some kind of end of year thing, I haven't decided yet. I'm thinking one more chapter, but another is possible.  
  
So, some of you were right, Harry couldn't really die. I decided at about chapter 22 to make Harry die in the end, but once I got to chapter 27 I changed my mind and decided on this. I didn't think of using the toad as his escape until I wrote about Sirius stealing the cloaks though, that part of it just kind of hit me all of a sudden. I thought it was pretty how most of you didn't mind his death, so long as Sirius and Remus were okay...I'd probably do it too. Thus, I hope you like the outcome!  
  
Also, if you don't like the Dumbledore is Sirius' grandfather thing, too bad...The idea popped into my head and wouldn't leave. I didn't like it at first, but it grew on me and I like the way it turned out. I'm sure some of you hate that, but I like it so it's staying!  
  
I'll probably start my next story soon so keep your eyes out! Oh and please review! 


	30. Chapter 30

Another one down...what's this number 30? Wow, it seems like I just started writing it! Those of you who don't want it to end will be happy to hear that I just extended it about two chapters. So keep an eye out. I want this story to have full closure! I hope you enjoy this!  
  
Special thanks to Scott for helping with the advice!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Harry recovered fully after a week in the hospital wing. He returned to classes, as did Sirius. Remus stayed at the school. Professor Dumbledore gave him his own set of rooms. He would often sit in and help with Sirius's classes during his stay there. The following year he would again fill the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts while Sirius was Headmaster.  
  
No one could fathom the thought of Sirius in that position, but it was going to happen. The preparations were already in order, although no one really knew except Harry, Sirius, Remus and Dumbledore. Sirius was anxious to get it out in the open, but Dumbledore wanted people to still have more time to get used to him. There were some students who still greatly feared the name Sirius Black. It was decided that the day before they left for Christmas Break they would make an announcement to the whole school about Dumbledore's retirement. Sirius couldn't wait.  
  
In no time it was that time of the year. For the first time ever Harry wasn't staying at Hogwarts for Christmas, he was going home. He had truly thought that he would never see home again, never see his own room again, but alas, he was returning. He packed his bag early that day and then spent the morning with Ron, Hermione, and Neville. Since the showdown with Voldemort Harry and Neville had become much better friends, and Neville had become a bit more self confident. Everyone was happy to see the personality change in him, and he ended up being an awesome friend.  
  
"I can't believe we're not spending the holidays together this year...we always spend the holidays together!" Ron yelled angrily. He wasn't happy about going home to see Percy. Since his mother had died, Percy had tried to take over that role in his life. It really didn't work for Ron.  
  
"Maybe you can come and visit to escape him," Harry suggested. "You all should. How's the day after Christmas sound?"  
  
"Excellent," Ron said in relief.  
  
"I'd love to," Hermione said.  
  
"I'll have to ask Gran, but I want to...sounds fun," Neville added, sounding a bit nervous about asking her for anything, but he was going to do it. It was time for him to stand up for himself.  
  
"We'll exchange presents then...I'm sure Sirius and Remus won't mind."  
  
They all agreed and made plans for that day.  
  
The rest of the afternoon passed quickly and it was finally time for the feast. Before the food appeared on the table, Dumbledore stood and tapped his fork on his glass. The student populace stared up at him, completely silent.  
  
"I have an announcement to make to you all. As you know, the Dark Lord has been defeated. Myself, Professor Black, and Mr. Harry Potter assisted in his final downfall. With this final adventure, I have decided that it is time to end my career here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."  
  
Everyone gasped and continued to stare enraptured.  
  
Dumbledore continued, "I imagine you all assume Professor McGonagall will take my place. Well you're wrong. She has chosen to retain her position as Deputy Headmistress. Thus, I have chosen a different candidate I think you'll all enjoy. He's young, fun, and will bring a new wave of freshness to this old castle. I would like to introduce next years Headmaster, your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Sirius Black!"  
  
Sirius rose in his seat and beamed as kids catcalled happily at the announcement. Everyone was cheering, it all made Sirius want to cry. Even Snape was smiling and clapping. Over the couple of weeks after Voldemort's defeat they had started getting a long. Both were still a little suspicious of each other, but they no longer despised the other.  
  
Sirius looked down at the students and focused on Harry who was standing and clapping with his friends. They locked eyes for a moment and smiled at each other through the raucous that was going on around them.  
  
Dumbledore then, though it took a while, managed to silence the crowd and began speaking again. "So as you can see this leaves another vacancy. I have already made a decision as to whom the next professor of defense against the dark arts will be, and I know that your new headmaster is just as pleased with this decision as I am. Remus Lupin will once again hold the title of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. I'm sure many of you remember the circumstances with which he left after his first year teaching, and I do hope that you will not hold it against him. He's a wonderful person and probably the best candidate out there for this position. Remus, will you please stand up?"  
  
Remus did so nervously. He knew he wasn't going to get an applause like Sirius's. He was unsure of what to expect. No one clapped at first, until Harry started beating his hands together. His friends soon joined in, then the rest of Gryffindor, then the Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaw's and finally even some of the Slytherin's. His applause almost equaled Sirius, and Remus couldn't have asked for anymore.  
  
"With all that being said, let the feast begin!"  
  
The food magically covered the table and everyone dug in. Harry stuffed his face, talking animatedly to his friends the whole time. He was absolutely carefree. Sirius watched him from his seat next to Remus.  
  
"Next year's going to be interesting, huh Sir?" Remus said. When he didn't get an answer he waved a hand in front of Sirius's face. "Earth to Sirius. Are you there?" Sirius snapped out of it and stared at Remus.  
  
"What's that, Moony?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Nothing. Harry's doing great, huh?"  
  
Sirius nodded. "It's hard to believe isn't it? That the happy kid sitting down there is the same one we took from his aunt and uncles house last summer...he's so much happier now."  
  
Remus looked down at Harry and nodded. "You've done a good job with him Sir."  
  
"You helped Moony...don't try to deny it. I couldn't have done anything without you."  
  
"I guess..." Remus said, losing track of what he was saying.  
  
"You did."  
  
Remus just smiled.  
  
"So...you ready to finally go home...you haven't been there in a while."  
  
"Yeah, I'm ready. I've missed my house, although I love it here. It'll be nice to be back for a couple of weeks."  
  
"Yes it will. Time for just the three of us...and we'll see Sorai again. I've missed that girl."  
  
"Me too," Remus said, looking slightly embarrassed.  
  
Sirius noticed the red tinge in his cheeks and couldn't restrain a grin. "You like her don't you?"  
  
Remus looked aghast. "Sirius! I do not!"  
  
"Oh yes you do! Moony loves Sorai! Moony loves Sorai!"  
  
"Sirius, would you shut up! I don't like Sorai!"  
  
It went on like that for a while until the whole teachers table was watching them. Dumbledore was having trouble not laughing, but the rest of the table was a little worried. These two hadn't changed a bit since they were in school, and now together, they'd be running it. Despite this, they were all quite entertained by the mockery of it all.  
  
"Okay, I'll admit, I used to have a little crush on her, but now I just see her as my friend."  
  
"Oh right, Moony! That's why you just turned red when I mentioned seeing her again!"  
  
"Sirius, I did not turn red!"  
  
"You looked like a tomato!"  
  
"Would you shut up?!"  
  
"Nope! Moony loves Sorai!" Sirius said, laughing hysterically at the way Remus's face was turning redder every second.  
  
"Aaah, you know I love ya, Moony...I'm just messing with you," Sirius said once Remus's look went from good natured to plain old pissed off.  
  
"Right...new topic please!"  
  
"Alright, lets see...who do you think Harry likes?"  
  
Remus rolled his eyes and decided it would just be better to ignore Sirius, who was listing off the names of every girl he could think of. Once he realized he was being ignored, however, Sirius turned to Snape.  
  
"So, Severus, how's it going?"  
  
"Alright..." Snape said, looking curiously at Sirius.  
  
"You know, I was wondering lately, because I forget...Do you remember why we hated each other at first?"  
  
Snape looked at him cautiously, trying to figure out if this was going to lead to his own utter embarrassment. He decided though, that Sirius was being good natured and answered.  
  
"We detested each other because of Lily Evans. I was friends with her in our first year until Potter brainwashed her."  
  
"You know James didn't do that. SHE liked HIM."  
  
"Yes, I know that now. But I wouldn't accept that then. So I decided that I hated him, all of his friends, and even Lily. But the rivalry didn't really start until that time you made me burp instead of speak when I went to talk to her in the Great Hall."  
  
Sirius smiled slightly remembering it. "Yeah, that was a good prank...but I'm sorry about it. I shouldn't have embarrassed you like that."  
  
"Apology accepted. And I as well am sorry for all the awful things I have done."  
  
Sirius nodded and stuck out his hand. Snape grabbed it and they shook. "Merry Christmas Severus."  
  
"Same to you Bla-Sirius."  
  
Sirius grinned and then returned to his meal. He again got lost staring at his happy godson. He felt like such a success at that moment. It was like every year he had spent in Azkaban had simply disappeared. He knew he wasn't so lucky, however. The memories would still haunt him in his dreams.  
  
Sirius again got lost in thought and didn't even realize when the students started filing out of the Great Hall. Remus was busy talking to Professor Sinistra, and other than that there was barely anyone left.  
  
Harry was out the door already and waiting for Sirius, when he realized he wasn't coming. He peeked back inside the great hall and saw Sirius holding his fork in one hand and resting his head in the other. He was staring off into space. Harry walked back in and stood right in front of him. Sirius still didn't snap out of it.  
  
"Sirius! Hey Sirius! Sirius?" Harry called and then finally tapped his shoulder. Slowly Sirius snapped out of it and raised his gaze to look into Harry's face. Harry couldn't help but laugh at the dazed look on his face.  
  
"What's so funny?" Sirius asked confused.  
  
"You were out there, Sirius, really out there."  
  
"Really?"  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"Oh well...are you all packed and ready to go?"  
  
"Yeah, you?"  
  
"Of course! I've been waiting to go home forever now! I miss my sis!"  
  
Harry smiled. He hadn't seen Sirius so animated and fun for a long, long time. Occasionally throughout dinner he watched Sirius, just like Sirius had watched him. He was happy to see that Sirius was talking to everyone. He no longer was a social outcast, but everyone's friend. Harry was happy for him.  
  
Sirius signaled to Remus that it was time to go and he ended his conversation with Professor Sinistra and bid her a Merry Christmas. Harry led them all out to where Ron, Hermione, and Neville were waiting.  
  
"Sirius, Remus, I was wondering if I could have these guys over the day after Christmas...you know so we can hang out?"  
  
Remus shrugged and Sirius said, "Absolutely! It'll be a party!"  
  
Harry smiled and thanked him. "So owl me if you can come, alright?"  
  
They all nodded at him. Hermione gave him a hug goodbye and he waved to Neville and Ron before grabbing his trunk and turning back to Remus and Sirius. They walked out the front doors of the castle and stopped at the top of the stairs.  
  
"Wow," Harry said. Snow was piled high and there was no way to get through it. More was coming down, and fast. It was a real blizzard out there.  
  
"Wow's right," Sirius said with a sigh. Remus just smiled at the sight of the beautiful white flakes settling over everything.  
  
"How are we going to get home?" Harry asked.  
  
"Well...we were going to go down to Hogsmead and then apparate there...but now I don't know how we're going to get there..." Sirius said, looking thoroughly pensive.  
  
"Harry, do you have your broom?" Remus asked.  
  
Sirius looked stunned. That was an obvious solution, and one that never crossed his mind.  
  
"No, I was going to leave it here...but I can summon it."  
  
"Accio Firebolt!" Harry yelled. His broomstick flew towards him from around the side of the building. Sirius and Remus then each summoned a school broom and they flew over the snow with all their luggage. Once they entered Hogsmead they hopped off the brooms and fell waist deep into the snow.  
  
Remus looked weathered from the short trip. He was definitely not wearing the right clothes to be out there in that weather. In fact none of them were. They all had rattling teeth and goosebumps.  
  
"Lets go," Remus said. Muttering a spell that would send all the brooms back.  
  
Sirius nodded. "I'll go first with Harry. Make sure we both are gone before taking off yourself, okay?"  
  
Remus nodded.  
  
"Grab my hands tightly Harry. Both of them just to be sure."  
  
"Okay." Harry said and gripped them. They were ice cold.  
  
In seconds they appeared in a completely different place. Harry smiled to himself as he remembered where they were. They stood exactly where Harry had gone to before going to see Remus in prison. Harry looked into the woods and then jumped back when Remus appeared right in front of him. He then shortly laughed at himself.  
  
"So...are we walking all the way back to the house?"  
  
Sirius shook his head looking a little angry. "Sorai's supposed to meet us down here...the question is where is she?"  
  
Harry and Remus both shrugged. Harry wrapped his arms tightly over his chest and started hopping up and down, trying to create some warmth. Sirius stepped up to him and started rubbing Harry's arms for warmth. It didn't help much but it was a nice thought.  
  
Suddenly though, Sirius stopped and hit himself on the head. "We're wizards!"  
  
"Wow, Sirius, took a genius to figure that one out," Remus said.  
  
"Hello, Moony! There is such a thing as a warming spell!"  
  
Remus also slapped his head. Sirius pulled out his wand and first put the spell on Harry. Instantly he stopped shivering and his cheeks went from bright red to a normal hue. He then put the spell on himself, while Moony put it on himself. Once they were all sufficiently warmed they decided it would be best to just walk to the house, despite the three feet of snow that was constantly getting higher and higher.  
  
They slowly trudged through it, and were going no where fast.  
  
"We should have kept the brooms," Sirius said.  
  
"Sorry," Remus replied. Beginning to shiver. The warming spell was wearing off. He was about to reapply it when they heard a horn. They looked up to see the familiar jeep bounding down the road. Pushing the snow aside as it went.  
  
The jeep pulled up right next to them and then the drivers door flew open. Sorai ran up to them insanely excited.  
  
"Mr. Headmaster!" She screeched and hugged her older brother. "And the wizarding prodigy, and savior of the world!" She squeezed Harry tight.  
  
Then she stood in front of Remus and beamed. "And Remus...how are you?" She asked pulling him into the longest hug. He hugged back and responded that he was just fine. The hug lasted longer than any of the others.  
  
Sirius grinned at Harry when he saw this. Harry rolled his eyes at Sirius. Remus was all smiles when they broke apart and Sirius started laughing. "Lets go home."  
  
They all agreed and piled into the car. Sirius made Remus sit up front with Sorai, his face beat red the whole time while Sirius laughed amusedly. Sorai just seemed confused but didn't ask any questions. Harry thought it was amusing as well, but was nice enough not to pick on Remus anymore than he was already being picked on.  
  
"I've missed you three!" Sorai said. "We haven't had much time together. We have a lot of catching up to do! Oh and guess what!"  
  
"What?" Remus asked, smiling curiously.  
  
"I've met someone."  
  
Remus's face fell slightly. He kept his smile, but it looked sad. Sirius noticed the face change and knew immediately it was time to stop picking on Remus's little crush. Though Remus had never admitted it, he had a lot of feelings for Sorai. The poor guy's heart was probably broken in two and nobody knew it.  
  
"Congrats, Sor, who's the lucky man?"  
  
"Oh you probably don't know him. His name is Jacob Whitman and he's an auror. I met him at work. We've been together for a few months now, and I think he's going to propose soon. I'm actually going to be spending Christmas with him, if you guys don't mind."  
  
Neither Sirius, nor Remus looked happy about that, but said it was fine with them. Harry could really care less. He liked Sorai well enough, but her presence didn't mean much to him. From what he had seen she was actually quite selfish. When she got no positive feedback on her news, she stopped talking all together, and tension in the car became dense. They were all relieved when they got to the house.  
  
"I'm going to go visit my man, I'll catch up with you all later," she said waving goodbye before walking into the fireplace.  
  
Sirius shook his head in annoyance. His sister was so fake and she had just really hurt his best friend without even realizing it.  
  
Remus stood in his kitchen looking around at the room he hadn't seen since mid-summer. Sirius put his arm over his shoulders and asked, "You okay Moony?"  
  
"I'm fine Sirius, why wouldn't I be okay?"  
  
"Because of what Sorai just told us."  
  
Remus winced slightly. "It's fine Sirius, really."  
  
"I saw the look on your face. I know it hurt. I just want to know if you're okay now."  
  
"I'll be fine," he mumbled and then lifted Sirius's arm off of him. He picked up his bags and went to his room. Harry did the same and Sirius resigned to follow. Before Harry got to his room Sirius called out, "Put on some warm, dry clothes bud and meet me in the living room once you're done unpacking." Harry nodded and continued on to his room. He didn't put anything away at first. Rather he just set everything down and looked at the familiar space. He walked up to the window and looked into the backyard. He saw J and Fang running around in the yard, fighting over some toy. A little after the last meeting with Voldemort Sirius sent both dogs home, as he didn't have the time to take care of them. Fang seemed to really like it there and Harry liked having the constant reminder of his old friend Hagrid. He never wanted to forget him.  
  
Harry pulled himself away from the window and sat on his bed. He ran his fingers over the soft material of his comforter. He breathed in the smells of the room and felt completely at peace. Harry was home, he was where he belonged.  
  
Finally, Harry decided it was time to get everything unpacked. He messily hung things in his closet and shoved stuff in his drawers. There were a few items Harry didn't know what to do with so he threw them under the bed. He then changed into flannel pants, a t-shirt and a sweatshirt and headed down stairs. Sirius was sitting on the couch. On the coffee table in front of him sat three steaming mugs of cocoa. Harry sat next to Sirius and picked up a mug. He blew on it, though he knew it would make no difference, and then took a sip. It was the perfect temperature and warmed Harry in a way that the warming spell could not. It warmed him from the inside out.  
  
The fire in front of them was dying down so Sirius pointed his wand at it and made it bigger once again. The two just sat watching the flames dance, their feet propped against the coffee table. When Remus came downstairs as well they shifted on the couch making room for him. Harry was then sandwiched between the two marauders. Remus grabbed his mug of cocoa and slid right into the same routine as Sirius and Harry.  
  
They all finished their mugs off and continued watching the flames in silence. Harry nearly jumped out of his skin when something heavy landed on his shoulder. He looked to his left and saw Sirius's head on his shoulder. Harry smiled slightly and then jumped again when Sirius snored loudly. He started laughing softly. Sirius snored again, louder and longer and Harry laughed harder. This time Remus joined him. Every snore was louder than the first making Harry and Remus laugh hysterically. They were doubled over laughing when the snoring finally stopped. Sirius's head popped up and he looked around confused.  
  
"What's so funny?" he mumbled wiping the sleep out of his eyes.  
  
"Nothing," Harry said, still laughing.  
  
"Tell me!" he whined.  
  
Harry just shook his head.  
  
"You wouldn't think it was funny, Padfoot," Remus said.  
  
"Just tell me and I'll decide that."  
  
Harry shrugged and said, "You sound like a cow when you sleep."  
  
Remus laughed harder at this, as did Harry.  
  
"I do not!" Sirius said indignantly.  
  
Harry just continued to laugh so Sirius decided the best thing to do was tickle him. Harry fell backwards on to Remus as Sirius continued the tickling. Remus decided to help by holding Harry's arms together.  
  
"Stop! Let go! Stop!" he yelled. It took a while, but eventually they did as he asked. They sat back on the couch the way they had earlier, only this time they weren't completely silent. They made plans for the rest of break and for the rest of the night. They decided to order two pizzas and watch some movies. Just like they would have done over the summer. They decided to make the Christmas break a continuation of where they had left off that summer.  
  
By the time they had polished off both pizzas and were halfway through their third movie, ''Sorai popped out of the fireplace.  
  
"Hey guys," she said. "Allow me to introduce..." she held her arms towards the fireplace and waited. Finally a man popped out, "Jacob Whitman!" She walked over to him and brushed the soot off his nose and then kissed it. Remus looked away.  
  
Sirius didn't even bother to say hello, rather he asked, "How the hell did he get through without the bell?"  
  
"I...umm...changed the wards a little," she mumbled.  
  
"You what?! Sorai those were up for everyone's protection! Do you know how badly you could have screwed things up. You tampered with everyone here's safety! Especially Harry's!"  
  
Harry looked down at the floor.  
  
"Sirius! I did it after you guys got rid of Voldemort! Those wards don't need to be up anymore, anyways! They're just a hassle!"  
  
"Sorai, is this your house?"  
  
"No, it's Remus's..."  
  
"So did you have the right to go changing things like that?"  
  
"No, but Sir-"  
  
"No but's Sorai! I can't believe you! I'm going to bed. Jack...whatever your name is...it was nice meeting you!" With that Sirius stormed out of the room.  
  
Jacob looked very uncomfortable as Harry and Remus stared at him.  
  
Sorai looked like she was going to go cry and ran into the nearby bathroom.  
  
Remus, always a man of manners stood up and shook his hand. "Hello, I'm Remus Lupin. It's nice to meet you."  
  
Jacob smiled warmly and shook back.  
  
"Please excuse Sirius, he worries a little too much. He just wants everything perfect and gets like that when it's not."  
  
"I understand. From what I've heard he's been through a lot."  
  
"Yes, he has. Why don't you have a seat?" Remus asked motioning towards where Harry sat. Jacob took a seat on Harry's right and Remus resumed his seat on the left.  
  
"So, Harry Potter, the savior of the wizarding world, nice to meet you."  
  
Harry smiled formally. He, like Sirius wasn't very fond of Jacob the moment he laid eyes on him. "Nice to meet you to," he said stiffly. "And I'm not the savior. All I did was get tortured. Dumbledore did it all."  
  
"Right," Jacob said uncomfortably. "Well..."  
  
Nobody could think of anything to say. Harry faked a yawn and said, "Man I'm tired...it has been a long night. I'm going to go to bed. Nice meeting you Mr. Whitman."  
  
"Call me Jacob!" he called as Harry trotted up the stairs.  
  
"Sorry to leave you, but I think it's time for me too. I'm sure I'll see you again soon."  
  
Jacob Whitman was left sitting on the couch alone. No one ever went back down to see if Sorai had ever returned to him. For all they knew he sat there alone all night.  
  
After leaving the room Harry went to find Sirius. He hadn't seen Sirius that angry in a very long time and wanted to make sure he cooled off. Harry walked into his room and found that he definitely was still fired up.  
  
Sirius was kicking everything in his room that he could get at. He was punching pillows and ripping the curtains. Harry didn't quite know exactly what to do.  
  
"Sirius, Sirius! Stop!" he said. Sirius did stop kicking things, but his face was beat red and his fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles were as white as snow. Harry was truly frightened by him.  
  
"I can't believe she did that!" he yelled and proceeded to kick his poor bed one more time. "Do you know who that guy is, Harry? Do you?"  
  
Harry shook his head and looked up as Remus also entered the room.  
  
"That," he hissed, "Is Jacob Whitman, former Slytherin and best friend to Lucius Malfoy!"  
  
Remus breathed in sharply, "That's why he seemed so familiar...I couldn't place him. Do you think...do you think he's helping Lucius?"  
  
"I don't know, but I can't believe she would give him free reign to this house. Is he still here?"  
  
They both nodded. "Not for long!"  
  
Sirius marched out of the room and ran down the steps. Remus and Harry silently crept down behind him and listened at the base of the stairs.  
  
"What the fuck is this?!" they heard Sirius yell angrily.  
  
"What does it look like?" A very familiar voice said. It wasn't the voice of Jacob Whitman either. It took a while for Harry to realize, but the voice he heard was that of none other than Lucius Malfoy. Harry's heart caught in his throat. He was supposed to be safe now, and right now he definitely was not safe.  
  
He felt Remus's arm around him and was silently pulled up the stairs. Remus steered him to his room and sat him on his bed. "You have to be quiet, Harry. We can't let them now where you are. I think this will all work out. Sirius will protect you, but you need to be careful anyway, alright?"  
  
Harry nodded in fear. Remus sat beside him and kept his arm over Harry's shoulder, trying to make him feel secure.  
  
Yells were coming from below, but Harry couldn't decipher what they were saying, or who was saying what. He just sat in silence, praying that Sirius would be okay.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
So what did you think? Good, bad, indifferent? Next chapter should be out in a little over a week. I say should cuz I really don't know. It'll either be earlier or later...I'm not really sure. Please review! 


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31, I've gone over my limit. The next chapter may be the last, or there may be two more. I want to give the story complete closure, so I'll make it as long as necessary. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I did!  
  
Sirius stood in the center of the living room, his wand pointed directly at Lucius Malfoy, but ready to switch to Jacob Whitman if need be.  
  
"What are you going to do Black? Kill me?" Lucius asked.  
  
"If you give me a reason...I'll spare you if you both leave now," Sirius yelled.  
  
"I'm afraid that's not going to happen. We're here for the boy and we're not leaving until we get him."  
  
"You'll never get Harry. Voldemort couldn't do it and you can't either."  
  
"Oh, but I can, and I will. That boy caused by lords downfall twice, as well as got my son expelled from school! I will not see him live! Expelliarmus!"  
  
Sirius's wand flew out of his hand and he was thrown back against the couch and hit his head against the wall. At the sound Sorai came out of the bathroom tears streaming down her face.  
  
"What the Hell is going on here?!"  
  
Sirius was shaking his head and trying to clear his vision. Sorai rushed over to him.  
  
"What's going on Sirius?"  
  
"Your 'man' let Lucius into the house and now he wants to kill Harry. Nice going!" Sirius spat bitterly.  
  
"I'm so sorry," she mouthed. Sirius just glared back at her.  
  
"How could you?" she moaned to Jacob.  
  
He laughed evilly and said, "Did you think I was really interested in you? Silly girl, I was just doing a favor for an old friend. Don't feel bad though, I actually enjoyed our relationship, at least some parts of it," he added with a very suggestive look.  
  
"Oh God!" she moaned. She started bawling right there until she fell over. Jacob stunned her.  
  
"Wow that bitch gets annoying!"  
  
"Right, lets go get the kid," Lucius demanded. Jacob nodded and they headed for the stairs. Sirius pushed himself off the couch and ran ahead of them, blocking the way up the stairs.  
  
"No!" Sirius yelled.  
  
"Don't make me kill you Black, I don't have to. There only has to be one death today."  
  
"I'll never let you get Harry."  
  
"Maybe a little pain will make you change your mind, crucio!"  
  
Sirius grabbed the railing on the stair and fell to his knees. Trying to keep up his barricade on the stairs. He was yelling in pain.  
  
Upstairs Harry stood the second he heard the first scream. "I have to go to him Remus!"  
  
"Harry, no. You need to stay right here. That's just what they want, for you to go out there."  
  
"Remus, they'll kill him! I can't just sit here and let them do that to him!" Harry started jogging out of the room. Remus dove and grabbed his leg, bringing Harry face down on the floor.  
  
"Let go! I have to help Sirius! It's me they want, not him!"  
  
"You're not going anywhere, Harry!"  
  
Harry kicked back and forth and finally freed his leg. He leapt to his feet and ran out the door. Remus got up and chased him. They both came to a silent stop at the top of the stairs and peered down. Sirius was barely sitting up, thrashing and screaming in pain. Jacob and Lucius were both standing in front of him with wide grins.  
  
He first pointed his wand at Lucius who was torturing Sirius and whispered, "Expelliarmus." Lucius's wand and Sirius's were both in his hand in seconds. The downside was that his presence had been discovered. Lucius immediately grabbed Jacob's wand and pointed it up at Harry. It looked like he was going to disarm Harry then, but Harry didn't give him the chance.  
  
"Avada Kedavra!" Harry yelled at the same instance that Lucius began to say expelliarmus. Lucius keeled over onto Sirius, who with the little energy he had left pushed him off. Remus looked at Harry in shock. Harry slowly descended the stairs and glared at Jacob.  
  
"If you don't leave now, I'll do the same to you. I'm not afraid."  
  
Jacob looked up at Harry in awe. He gave one look at his fallen companion and paled visibly. He then ran out of the house dragging Lucius's dead body behind him. Remus went down and made sure he left the premises.  
  
Harry ran down the remaining steps and knelt next to Sirius.  
  
"Are you okay, Sirius?"  
  
Sirius nodded, and whispered, "Thank you."  
  
"Anytime," Harry mumbled before hugging Sirius tight.  
  
Sirius felt that Harry was shaking like a leaf.  
  
"It's over bud, we survived again, are you okay?"  
  
"I killed someone Sirius, I'm no better than any of those deatheaters. I'm no better than Voldemort!"  
  
"Yes you are Harry! You're one thousand times better then them! They kill meaninglessly. You killed to save my life and your own! Harry, you were heroic there, you're not a murderer!"  
  
"Yes I am, Sirius....I just took someone's life!"  
  
"Harry, was there any other way out?"  
  
"Maybe..."  
  
"Think, can you think of any other way?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then you did the right thing! Harry, even an act like that, killing someone, can be the right thing. You killed under the circumstances where it was the right thing."  
  
Harry shook his head.  
  
"It's alright Harry, you did nothing wrong."  
  
"Then why do I feel like I deserve to go to Hell?"  
  
"Because you've always been told that killing another person is a mortal sin...but it's different in this case. You killed to save the lives of others!"  
  
Harry didn't say anything else, so Sirius was hopeful that he had gotten through to him. He could never be sure though.  
  
Sirius rubbed Harry's back soothingly and looked up at Remus, "Is he gone, Rem?"  
  
"As far as I can see..." Remus said, turning away from the window. He looked into the living room at Sorai on the floor and went to her side. He enervated her and she immediately began crying again.  
  
"I'm so sorry," she moaned. Remus helped her sit up and pulled her into a comforting hug.  
  
"It's okay," Remus muttered into her hair. Sorai sobbed into his shoulder and he rubbed her back.  
  
Sirius wanted to go over there and give her a piece of his mind, but he decided she was already in enough pain, maybe later. Rather he rubbed Harry's back until his shakiness ceased. He pulled away from Sirius and stood up. Sirius tried to as well, but immediately fell over, hitting his back hard on the stairs. "Owww," he moaned.  
  
"Are you alright?" Harry asked concerned.  
  
"I think-I think I need some help. Think you can get me upstairs?"  
  
Harry nodded and helped pull Sirius to his feet. Sirius threw his arm over Harry's shoulder and slowly guided him up the stairs. He stumbled a lot, but eventually they made it to the top. Harry helped Sirius limp to his bedroom and then helped him climb into bed.  
  
"Do you need anything, Sirius?" Harry asked.  
  
Sirius shook his head. "Just keep me company until I fall asleep."  
  
Harry nodded and sat on the edge of Sirius's bed.  
  
"So much for a peaceful vacation, huh bud? I'm really sorry about this."  
  
"It's not your fault Sirius. It's..." Harry bit his tongue before saying what he was thinking.  
  
"I know, I know, Sorai's. She's going to get a piece of my mind pretty soon. It's not going to be pretty."  
  
Harry nodded, not knowing what to say.  
  
"We still have a while to make this vacation good though. We should be fine from here on out."  
  
Sirius nodded in agreement and smiled. The smile turned sour though, and Sirius flinched in pain. "I don't know how you could handle this pain so many times bud...I feel like rolling over and dying right now, this hurts so bad!"  
  
Harry smiled sadly. "It hasn't been easy....do you want me to go see if Remus has anything to make the pain go away...or that will let you sleep?"  
  
Sirius contemplated and then nodded, "I think there's some sleeping potion somewhere...can you get me some of that?"  
  
Harry nodded and got up. He found Remus still comforting Sorai. She was crumpled in his arms on the floor. Harry smiled sadly at him.  
  
"Is she asleep?" Remus whispered. Harry peered around her and saw that indeed she was.  
  
"Yeah, she's asleep."  
  
"Good," he said, pushing her away. He grabbed a pillow from the couch and gently eased her onto it. He then stood up and asked, "How's Sirius?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "He's in a lot of pain."  
  
"And how about you?"  
  
"I just killed someone, that's hard to deal with...but, I'm okay, I guess."  
  
Remus nodded and patted Harry's shoulder.  
  
"Sirius was wondering if you could get him some sleeping potion."  
  
"Yeah, sure, I don't have the good kind, but I have some, hold on."  
  
Harry sat on the couch while Remus walked to the bathroom. He came out after a few moments with a small vial of blue liquid. "Have him drink the whole thing."  
  
"Thanks," Harry said and then started up the stairs again. When he reached Sirius's room, he heard a soft snoring. He walked in and saw Sirius sound asleep already. He had no use for the sleeping potion. Harry sat the vial down on the bedside table and watched Sirius sleep. He pulled the blankets high up on Sirius and just sat there, feeling guilty. If it hadn't been for him, Sirius wouldn't be in the position he now was in. He wouldn't have had to suffer under that curse. For a long time, he just sat there, until he realized how late it was. He couldn't believe that earlier that same day he had been at the closing feast at school.  
  
After he once again fixed the blankets on Sirius, Harry left the room. He wandered down to the kitchen and got a glass of water. On the way back he met Remus in the living room. He was covering Sorai with a blanket.  
  
"You really do like her, don't you Remus?"  
  
Remus just shrugged, blushing slightly. "I don't really know Harry. When we were young I had a crush on her, but now...I really don't know."  
  
Harry nodded. "Well, it's late, I'm going to bed."  
  
"I think I am too."  
  
"Night," Harry said and hugged him.  
  
"Night Harry."  
  
Harry trotted up the stairs with his glass of water and crawled into bed. He slept soundlessly through the night.  
  
He woke the next morning before everyone else. He got dressed in warm clothes and then went downstairs. After making himself a bowl of cereal he dug through a closet and found boots that fit him. He threw on an old parka he found as well and walked out the back door. Slowly, he walked through the yard and into the woods until he found the place Sirius had shown him the previous summer. He perched on the rock he always sat on when he went there and looked at the frozen stream.  
  
As he sat he contemplated all that he had been through that school year. It was by far the best year he ever had, despite the events that had transpired. Harry thought about how at one point he literally wanted to give up and die, and he was now so thankful that he had decided to fight rather than give up. Everything was finally going to be alright. There was still one Malfoy out there, Draco, but Harry felt he could handle him. He hoped that Draco Malfoy would learn from the mistakes of his father and Lord Voldemort that trying to kill Harry Potter was simply a bad idea. Harry truly hoped that after all this people would finally leave him alone. He imagined a life where he wasn't famous, as he sat looking out at the beautiful settings in a complete trance.  
  
Back in the house, Sirius had just gotten out of bed. He still felt the pain, but he had enough strength to get from point A to point B. It just hurt a whole lot, he was very sore. He walked downstairs and was surprised not to see Harry up and milling around. It was pretty late. He made himself some breakfast and then went back up stairs to look for Harry. When he found that his godson was not in his bed, he got worried.  
  
Sirius ran as fast as his sore legs would carry him to Remus's room. Remus was just stretching and getting out of bed when Sirius came running in.  
  
"What are you doing?" Remus asked confused.  
  
"I can't find Harry! Have you seen him?"  
  
Remus shook his head. "I'm sure he's fine Sirius, I mean, he's not a little kid."  
  
"Yeah, well after last night, I want to know where he is at all times! I have to know where he is!"  
  
"Calm down Sirius, okay. Having a heart attack isn't going to help anything, alright?"  
  
Sirius nodded impatiently.  
  
"Where have you looked?"  
  
"Downstairs and in his room."  
  
"Are you sure he's not in the bathroom?"  
  
Sirius nodded again, "I would have heard him."  
  
Remus looked a little worried now too. "Okay let's go look for him." He quickly through on sweatpants and a sweatshirt and headed out of the room. Sirius followed. They searched every room in the house, and found no sign of him. They were really getting panicked by this point. Sirius yanked the front door open and stepped out, completely barefoot and wearing a short sleeve shirt.  
  
"Harry!" he yelled over and over, but got no response. Then he went to the back door and sighed in relief. There were footprints in the heavy snow heading straight for his favorite place. He should have known. Sirius shut the backdoor and started rubbing his arms. "Remus, I know where he is, it's okay!"  
  
Remus strode over to where Sirius was shivering and said, "Where is he?"  
  
"That place by the stream. I showed it to him a little after you were taken away. I think I'm going to go see him."  
  
Remus nodded. "I'll wait in here. Do you want anything for when you get back?"  
  
"Cocoa would be nice," Sirius said smiling.  
  
"Sure thing."  
  
Remus then went to the kitchen and made himself breakfast. Sirius sat on a bench near the door and bundled up before going outside. He was still in a lot of pain, but he wanted to go out there anyway. Every step he took the pain got worse and worse, but he continued on. He was relieved to see Harry bundled up on a rock when he got out there.  
  
Sirius climbed onto the rock next to Harry, and he didn't snap out of his trance. Sirius put his hand on Harry's shoulder and only then was his presence known.  
  
"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. "How long have you been here?"  
  
"I just got here bud, what are you up to?"  
  
"Just thinking...how do you feel?"  
  
"Like I was just under the Cruciatus curse."  
  
Harry grinned.  
  
"I'll be alright. How about you?"  
  
"Much better," Harry said. "I just hope that everything will be okay...I have a few doubts about it...but, I think things are going to finally start looking up."  
  
"Me too."  
  
"Remus and I thought we lost you this morning...we were really worried."  
  
"I'm so sorry...I should have told you I was out here...or left a note."  
  
"It's okay, we, shouldn't worry so much, particularly me. It's just, you know with what happened last night, kind of scared us not knowing where you were."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"It's really fine, don't worry about it."  
  
Harry nodded. "I'm getting cold. Want to head back?"  
  
"Yeah," Sirius replied.  
  
Harry hopped down and Sirius carefully slipped off the rock. They walked back at an abnormally slow pace. Harry had to take purposeful baby steps so that Sirius could keep up. When he literally couldn't walk as slow as Sirius anymore he turned to him. Sirius had a strained look on his face, and his jaw was clenched.  
  
"Are you okay Sirius?" he asked.  
  
Sirius nodded.  
  
"Are you sure? We can take a break."  
  
"No, no," Sirius wheezed. "I can do this."  
  
"Sirius, I know what it's like, how it just takes everything out of you...you don't have to pretend here."  
  
"Lets just go Harry," Sirius said, beginning to take his tiny steps again. Harry reluctantly followed as slow as he could. He kept himself a small distance behind Sirius. Helplessly, he watched Sirius collapse into the snow. He dropped to his knees next to him and helped him sit back up.  
  
"I need some help, bud," Sirius muttered sadly.  
  
"I can see that," Harry said. "Come on." Harry stretched out his hand and helped Sirius stand up. Sirius put his arm over Harry's shoulders and leaned on him. They slowly made there way back to the house. With Harry's support he could take longer strides as his tired legs didn't have to hold as much weight. When they made it inside Harry didn't bother to kick of his boots, he just helped Sirius to the couch as quickly as he could. He performed a drying spell on Sirius and picked up a blanket from the floor and threw it at him.  
  
"Thanks bud," Sirius said snuggling into it. Harry then went back towards the door and took off all his gear. He then joined Sirius on the couch and took the other end of the blanket.  
  
"Feel better?"  
  
Sirius shook his head as Remus entered the room and said, "I feel like Wile E. Coyote after he has the cliff fall on him...you know what I'm talking about?"  
  
Harry laughed and nodded. Remus distributed mugs of cocoa and sat down in a nearby recliner. They sat and talked for a while and then had a chess tournament, just like the previous summer. It was a great way to pass the time. While they were in the middle of the last game Sorai came wandering down stairs. This was when everyone forgot about chess.  
  
The moment Sirius took one look at his sister he began shaking with rage. Sorai saw this and drew back slightly. Remus gave her a look of pity and Harry bit his lip.  
  
"So," Sirius said, looking at her demandingly.  
  
"I'm really sorry Sirius, I didn't know...I mean..."  
  
"You didn't know...but yet, you gave him free reign to the house anyway? Everything was set up perfectly so that what happened yesterday could never happen, but you let it happen Sorai," Sirius said in a voice so calm and low it was scary. Sorai looked more than scared of her brother, she looked terrified.  
  
"I know, Sirius, I shouldn't have done it. I'm so sorry!"  
  
"I could have been killed, Sorai, Harry could have been killed. Remus could have been killed. YOU could have been killed! What the hell is wrong with you?!"  
  
Sorai started crying and looked completely ashamed. "I don't know what's wrong with me Sirius...I'm just so, so, so sorry. Please forgive me."  
  
"I don't think I can Sor...after what you did...how could you not have known that that was a stupid thing to do? How?"  
  
Sorai just shook her head and continued to cry. "What can I do?"  
  
"There's nothing you can do! You've already done enough! How could you have been so stupid?! I can't get over this stupidity, I just can't!"  
  
Sorai cried even harder and both Remus and Harry were starting to feel bad. Sirius kept the stern look on his face.  
  
"Sirius, give it a rest, okay?" Remus said quietly.  
  
Sirius turned to him so quickly with an expression as though Remus had just plunged a sword into his heart. The expression soon turned to anger, fiercer than that he had shown towards his sister.  
  
"Why don't you just go fuck her and be done with it, huh Moony?!" Sirius yelled.  
  
Harry gasped and Remus turned ashen. "That's enough Sirius!" he yelled and stormed out of the room. Sorai didn't even notice any of it. She just kept sobbing and repeating over and over again how sorry she was. Sirius buried his face in his hands and sighed deeply. Harry just sat there not having a clue what to do.  
  
Finally, Sorai realized she was not going to be forgiven and ran back upstairs to her bedroom, leaving just Harry and Sirius in the living room.  
  
After a while Sirius looked up sadly. He turned to Harry and said, "I'm sorry I lost it like that bud."  
  
Harry smiled meekly, "It's not me you need to apologize to."  
  
Sirius nodded and shook his head. "I will apologize to Rem...but I can't forgive her for what she did...I can't."  
  
"Well maybe you don't have to...but you really should stop yelling at her like that. I'm sure she feels bad enough as it is."  
  
"I know, it's just...it was so stupid! And it could have been prevented so easily!"  
  
Harry nodded but didn't say a word. He picked up the chess board and pieces and set it aside and then got up.  
  
"You do me a favor bud?" Sirius asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Can you get Remus so I can apologize? I really shouldn't have said what I said. He probably hates me right now, and I'd rather end that as soon as I can."  
  
Harry nodded and stood up. He ran up the stairs and then knocked on Remus's closed door. When he didn't get an answer he opened it a crack and peered in. Remus was sitting on the floor with his back against his bed. His elbows rested on his knees and his forehead was pressed into his palms. Harry walked in and sat next to him on the floor.  
  
"Are you alright?" Harry asked quietly.  
  
There was silence for a little while until Remus mumbled, "I can't believe he said that."  
  
"I couldn't either. He didn't mean to though, he was just mad...I think he's sorry."  
  
"I mean, what did he expect? I wouldn't let him drill on anyone like that...it's just cruel."  
  
Harry nodded but didn't say a word.  
  
"Gah!" Remus yelled, kicking the ground.  
  
Harry smiled sympathetically. "Well if it makes you feel any better, he felt bad about it the second you left. He wants to see you right now."  
  
Remus contemplated it for a minute. "I guess, since the guy can't walk." He stood and left the room. Harry then went to his own room and wrapped the Christmas gifts he had purchased.  
  
Downstairs, Sirius looked up the moment he heard Remus coming down. Remus had a very tense expression when he appeared at the bottom and Sirius looked nervous at the sight of him. Remus walked to the center of the room and stood there silently with his arms crossed over his chest.  
  
Sirius grinned sheepishly and cleared his throat. "I'm really sorry about what I just said, Moony...really, really sorry. I was just so angry with Sorai, and you standing up for her only made it worse. I didn't mean what I said, it just came out. Please forgive me."  
  
"Padfoot, why can't you just believe when I say I'm not interested in your sister?"  
  
"I don't think you're seriously in love with her Moony, I just remember when you used to have a thing for her. I'm usually not serious about it. What I said though, that was just because you were taking her side and not mine...I was being really immature, huh?"  
  
Remus nodded.  
  
"Sorry Moony."  
  
"It's okay Padfoot," Remus said plopping down next to Sirius. "Just do not say anything like that again, okay? Especially not in front of Sorai and Harry. I don't think I could have possibly been more embarrassed."  
  
"I promise, I'll be good," Sirius said in a childish voice. Remus laughed and hit him with a pillow.  
  
"I have another request," Remus said.  
  
Sirius flinched, figuring he knew what it was.  
  
"Could you take it easy on your sister? I know she did a very, very bad thing...but she knows it was wrong. I'm not saying you have to forgive her for it, but you really should stop the verbal harassment."  
  
Sirius sighed loudly and was about to speak when he was interrupted.  
  
"Don't worry about it, you won't get the chance. I'm leaving before I can put you all in danger ever again."  
  
"Sorai, don't..." Remus started, but Sirius stopped him.  
  
"So that's how it's going to be, huh? You're just going to run away? You're going to hide from the issues? Because you know what, Sorai? This can be resolved. I'm sure in the distant future, if we do this right, we'll be as close as ever. But if you leave now, it will never get better, we'll become estranged... see, I have other family...you on the other hand do not. Remus and Harry are here for me, always. All you have is me."  
  
Tears shone in his sisters eyes again, but he kept up the firm gaze on her.  
  
"I don't want to be any more of a bother...like you said, I put all of you at risk. I'm too stupid to live here, I'll just screw it all up again."  
  
Sirius rolled his eyes in slight annoyance. "Sorai, if you just ask before you make changes you'll be all set. I don't want you to leave, and I'm sure Remus and Harry don't either. I'm mad as Hell at you still, but I don't want to see you go. I know I'll get over this, someday...and then I'll regret seeing you leave. We're family Sor, we're supposed to stick together through thick and thin. So don't go, lets stick together and work this out. I promise not to have any outbursts like this morning, I was being a jerk. Do you want to try to work it out?"  
  
Sorai nodded, her chin quivering. She dropped the bags she was holding and rushed into her brothers arms. He didn't seem to want the hug, but was kind enough to at least briefly wrap his arms around her.  
  
Remus smiled at Sirius who smirked back.  
  
"Thank you Sirius," she muttered, drying her eyes.  
  
"Your welcome, just don't do anything like this again, please."  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Why don't you go bring your stuff back upstairs."  
  
"Okay," she whispered and re-gathered her things. Once she was out of sight Sirius punched the couch.  
  
Remus just shook his head with a smirk.  
  
"Do you know how hard that was Rem?"  
  
"I can imagine. You did good Padfoot."  
  
"I just hope it wasn't a mistake."  
  
"It shouldn't be, I really think she learned her lesson."  
  
"Yeah, yeah...I really am sorry Remus...I would have decked you if you said that to me."  
  
"Well yeah, it's you sister," Remus joked.  
  
"Ha, ha, ha, you know what I mean. Thanks for taking it so well."  
  
"Yeah, well I do know your temper."  
  
Sirius nodded and then yawned. "What time is it? I'm so *yawn* tired."  
  
"It's about five."  
  
"Okay, well I think I'm going to go to bed."  
  
Remus laughed, "Alright old man."  
  
Sirius glared good naturedly and then said, "Can you help me get upstairs?"  
  
"Sure, kind of funny the role reversal here, huh? Harry and I helping you, you're usually the one doing the helping."  
  
"I definitely prefer being on the other side."  
  
Remus nodded and helped Sirius off the couch and upstairs.  
  
Once Sirius was sitting on his bed he sighed and said, "I can't believe I can't even walk."  
  
"Well if you recall you could walk until you outdid yourself this morning. You can start from scratch tomorrow and fully recover in time for Christmas."  
  
Sirius nodded, his eyelids feeling heavy. He buried himself in the covers and closed his eyes before murmuring, "Night Moony, thanks."  
  
"Night Sir," Remus said as he walked out of the room and turned off the lights, though it didn't darken the room as the sun was still out. Remus walked down the hall to Harry's room. He found him sitting on his bed, a stack of wrapped presents below him. He was deeply engaged in a Care of Magical Creature Book.  
  
"Hey, Harry, whatcha up to?"  
  
"Jump start on this Care of Magical Creatures assignment. She's definitely no Hagrid, she actually has tests," Harry moaned.  
  
"Trust me, she's better than the one we had when we were at Hogwarts."  
  
Harry just smiled.  
  
"I was wondering if you wanted to come watch a movie with me, Sirius called it an early night."  
  
"Sure," Harry said marking a page in his book. "How'd it go with Sirius?"  
  
"It went well...we're fine. I even got him acting civil with Sorai."  
  
"That must have been a feat."  
  
"It wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be. Deep down he doesn't want to be mad at her at all."  
  
Harry nodded as he got off his bed. "So what are we going to watch?"  
  
"It's called Happy Gilmore. Ever heard of it?"  
  
"I heard it was good, Seamus saw it I think."  
  
Harry climbed off his bed and went downstairs. He made himself comfortable on the couch under the blanket he had given to Sirius earlier. Remus went to make popcorn and then popped the video in and sat down with Harry. They watched it together laughing hysterically the entire time. It was the most time the two had spent together since the summer. Since before Remus went away, and they both savored the time. When the movie was over they played a couple rounds of chess together, and then talked for a while. It was time spent together that they really needed. Remus was right when he realized that he had missed out on a lot. It was time for him to make up for it.  
  
They both went up to bed well after midnight. Harry fell asleep instantly, but Remus stayed up for a while thinking. He was definitely happy with the way things turned out, despite Sirius's outburst. He was happy knowing that things would go back to normal. They could have the happiness that they had shared for a couple of weeks over the summer.  
  
Please review and tell me what you think. Next week is vacation, so this story will probably be completely over by the end of next week. But don't worry, I'll be back with a story which I plan to call, "In the Shadows" or something along those lines. If you already know of a story with that title, please alert me! 


	32. Chapter 32

This is the second to last chapter and sadly, most of it sucks. I hate the first half of it, but it's really all I could think of. It depresses me to think that the last chapter may be as bad as this one, but I'll do my best.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sirius's pain soon went away and in no time at all it was Christmas Eve. They had planned a big dinner for the four of them, and invited Dumbledore, as well some other professors: Professor McGonagall, Professor Sinistra, Professor Flitwick, and even Professor Snape. Harry could handle all but the last one. He couldn't really understand why they were so friendly with each other as of late, and wasn't sure he liked it. However, he accepted it and moved on.  
  
Before they were to all arrive, Harry, who was dressed nicely in royal blue wizard robes asked, "How's Snape going to get here? He's a deatheater...aren't their wards against deatheaters getting in?"  
  
Sirius smirked, "Harry, do you remember what happened earlier this week? We had two deatheaters in here. The ward against them is only so they don't walk in. It's just like a ring that blocks them. Once they're in the ring they're fine. Everyone's flooing in."  
  
"Oh," Harry said feeling a little stupid.  
  
Sirius smiled and went back to helping Remus prepare dinner. Remus wouldn't let Sirius do anything but peel potatoes and stir ingredients, and he watched him like a hawk. Though he missed when Sirius tried to pour extra pepper into the potatoes and the top fell off, leaving a pile of pepper in the potatoes.  
  
"Shit!" Sirius whispered so that Remus didn't hear him. He then quickly scooped potatoes from the bottom onto the top so they looked pure white again. He then set them aside and went on to something else. Harry in the meantime wrote confirmation letters to all of his friends. With the help of Hedwig and Sirius's and Remus's owls he got them all sent out before the guests arrived. Once that was done, Harry started feeling very nervous.  
  
He had eaten with his professors before, but this time he was at his own house, and he didn't have Ron and Hermione there with him. It was nerve racking to have to sit with his teachers on a far more personal basis.  
  
The first person to arrive was Professor Dumbledore. Harry went to greet him and he shook his hand firmly. Then Sorai came out and looked at Dumbledore calculatingly. Sirius had just that day told her about their relation, as he had finally started talking to her again in Yule-tide spirit.  
  
Dumbledore grinned at her and she smiled back. He reached out his hand to shake, but she ignored it and ran towards him into a big hug. Dumbledore laughed at this and hugged back. She seemed like a little girl, so happy to see her grandfather again. Harry smiled as he watched. Remus walked in then and smiled at Dumbledore.  
  
"Hey, Albus, Happy Christmas!" (I hate the term Happy Christmas, but JKR uses it so I am too for today).  
  
Dumbledore shook his hand and said the same thing. Then Sirius came out and gave Dumbledore a man hug. They really had gotten close since Sirius had begun his headmaster training, and they were getting along better than they ever had before. Harry was happy to see this. As much as Harry needed Sirius as a parent, Sirius still needed his own, and he found one in Dumbledore. They started talking about the people who were left at the school and the interesting things some of them were doing when the fireplace again rang.  
  
This time it was Professor McGonagall. She was nowhere near as relaxed as Dumbledore. Rather she was quite formal. She shook everyone' s hands and then sat stiffly on the couch. There was more small talk until Professor's Sinistra and Flitwick came within seconds of each other. Within another five minutes, Snape had arrived. They went to the dining room then and sat around the table. Harry hadn't said boo since Dumbledore's arrival.  
  
Sirius and Remus sat at the heads of the table. Harry was stuck between McGonagall and Snape and sat across from Flitwick, Sorai and Sinistra. It didn't take much to see how unimpressed he was with the seating arrangement. Sirius sent him a few sympathetic looks at the beginning of the meal, but soon got caught up in the action of it all and Harry was altogether forgotten. He didn't really mind, though. If he was forgotten he wouldn't have to speak. However, he wasn't forgotten by all party's present.  
  
While the rest of the table was busy talking about the many blunders of Neville Longbottom, Snape turned to Harry.  
  
"So Potter, I've accused you of a lot over the years. I'd like to know once and for all what you have done in the past. I assure you I will not get you in trouble for anything you tell me here, I just would like to know."  
  
Harry looked at Snape for a moment and then nodded his head.  
  
"Alright, the ingredients that were stolen from my office..."  
  
"First time was Hermione, we were making a polyjuice potion to get into the Slytherin common room. We thought Malfoy might be the one who had opened the chamber of secrets. Second time, the Gillyweed was actually Dobby the house elf. I had no idea how to breathe under water and Moody, Bart Crouch, told him how I could do it."  
  
"Indeed," Snape said. "And was the polyjuice potion you made successful?"  
  
Harry nodded his head. "For Ron and I...Hermione accidentally got a cat hair instead Millicent Bulstrode's though...she was in the hospital for a quite a while for that."  
  
Snape nodded, "I was wondering what could keep a girl like that out for so long."  
  
It was obvious Harry didn't like the term "A girl like that" but he let it slide. Snape moved on to another question.  
  
"When Black escaped after we had him locked away, that was you right?"  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"How'd you do it?"  
  
"You probably know that Hermione had a time-turner?"  
  
Snape nodded.  
  
"Well, Dumbledore believed my story that Sirius was innocent. So he told Hermione what to do and told us we could save two innocent lives that night. Sirius's and Buckbeak's. So we went back two hours, freed Buckbeak, watched ourselves get beat up by a tree and then once Sirius was up in the office we flew Buckbeak up to the window and got him out. We then got off and he flew away...then we returned to the hospital wing just in time."  
  
Snape shook his head. Harry looked down, but before he did caught the smile on Snape's face. He looked back up.  
  
"If I had done all of that when I wasn't even in sixth year yet, I'd be dead. You're very brave Potter."  
  
"Thanks, Professor," Harry said blushing slightly.  
  
Snape nodded and went back to his meal. Harry did as well and for once thought Snape was right. He never realized it, but he had done so many things over the years that could have gotten him killed. He wasn't just little Harry Potter, or just the Boy who lived, he was a strong Gryffindor who could take care of himself, most of the time. He still needed help, but he could handle most situations.  
  
The rest of dinner was spent telling stories of when Snape, Sirius, and Remus were kids. McGonagall and Flitwick had both taught them. Everyone had heard most of the stories before with the exception of Harry and Professor Sinistra, who began teaching a year after they graduated. She wasn't that much older than Sirius, Remus and Snape.  
  
The group was roaring with laughter as the night came to an end. Everyone was having a good time, including Snape and Harry. Though, Harry was looking forward to everyone leaving. He got his wish at nine o'clock when everyone started heading towards the fireplace. Snape and Dumbledore were the last to go.  
  
"Thanks for your hospitality, Sirius, I believe I was wrong about you all those years."  
  
"Same here, Sev!" Sirius said, he had definitely had a bit too much wine. He wasn't drunk, but he was definitely close to it. Snape actually laughed at being called that and waved goodbye before heading through the fireplace.  
  
Sorai had already gone up to her room before Dumbledore left, so Sirius took his last minutes there as an opportunity to get something fixed.  
  
"Before you go Albus...you remember what I told you happened...with Malfoy?"  
  
"Indeed."  
  
"Well, that guy, Jacob Whitman," Sirius spat the name, "Can still get in here...think you can fix that for me?"  
  
"The second I get back Sirius."  
  
"Thanks," Sirius said yawning.  
  
"Goodnight, Sirius, thanks for a wonderful Christmas Eve. I don't believe I've had such a good time in years."  
  
Sirius smiled proudly and said, "It was my pleasure! Good night!"  
  
Dumbledore said goodnight to Remus and Harry as well and then left. Once he was gone Harry plopped down on the couch and finally relaxed. Despite the fun he was starting to have, Harry hadn't let his guard down once. He simply wasn't comfortable surrounded by his teachers like that.  
  
"Did you have a good time Bud?"  
  
Harry shrugged. Sirius gave him a funny look and sat with him on the couch. Remus took a seat in a comfy chair nearby.  
  
"You didn't have a good time did you?"  
  
"No, I had a little fun."  
  
"I ignored you didn't I? I'm so sorry, I'll admit, I completely forgot about you...I knew you weren't going to have the best time, and I meant to include you more...I'm really sorry Harry."  
  
"It's okay, you had a good time. It's not like I hated it. It wasn't that bad. I've been through worse."  
  
"Still, you were stuck between Severus and Minerva! I know they aren't your favorite people in the world."  
  
"It's okay, Snape talked to me a bit...it's fine Sirius."  
  
Sirius just shook his head.  
  
"Will it make you feel better if we ignore you when I have my friends up?"  
  
Sirius looked at Harry and then shook his head, "Wouldn't work, I can not be ignored...I don't allow it to happen."  
  
Harry laughed and nodded. "Whatever Sirius, it's cool. You were having a good time."  
  
"Well if you're sure you're okay with it."  
  
"Really, it's fine."  
  
"Alright, what do you want to do now? It's too early to go to bed."  
  
"I've been craving apple cider actually...hot apple cider. It's one of the few luxuries I was allowed around the holidays at the Dursleys...back before I went to Hogwarts. Do we have the capabilities to make some?"  
  
Sirius looked to Remus for the answer. He nodded his head, smiling at how much Harry wanted something as simple as hot apple cider for Christmas. He came back with three mugs of it in no time and they sat down to watch another movie. "A Christmas Story."  
  
Harry just about spit his cider all over the couch when the kid in the movie shot himself in the eye, breaking his glasses. It seemed like something he would do himself. He was really enjoying the movie.  
  
Apparently it had come out just in time for Harry's first Christmas, so technically he had seen it before. Sirius, Remus, James and Lily had all gathered on Christmas Eve just like they were doing then to watch it at James and Lily's house.  
  
At one point in the movie Sirius paused it and said, "This is the exact point where James made us stop the movie so that he could go change your diaper! We picked on him so bad for that, didn't we Moony?"  
  
Remus laughed remembering how they always picked on James when he had to be the Daddy.  
  
"He didn't mind though, he loved taking care of you," Remus said reminiscently.  
  
"Yes he did," Sirius said sadly. "I really miss Prongs." Sirius said thickly.  
  
"Me too," Remus mumbled.  
  
"I do too," Harry said. "I never really knew him, but I miss him...I've missed him all these years. My mum too."  
  
"Yeah...Lily. She made the best Christmas dinner that year...and she mashed everything up for you, Harry. Man those two would have been the best parents for you. The best."  
  
"Well, you're doing a pretty good job," Harry said sincerely. All three seemed pretty choked up, so they went back to watching the movie in silence. When it ended Remus got up, shut the television off and turned on the lights. He looked at Sirius and saw his face was tearstained and red.  
  
"Padfoot..." Remus said.  
  
"I really miss them...so much."  
  
"Come here," Remus said sitting beside him. He put his arms around his best friend and pulled him close.  
  
"I thought when we stopped talking about it, you stopped thinking about it?"  
  
Sirius sniffed and shook his head. "I tried to stop thinking about it, but I just couldn't. Every scene in that movie held a memory of them. A memory that made me think about how much I missed them. I want them back, so much."  
  
"Me too, Sir, me too, but they don't want us to be like this. They want us to be happy, even without them around. So be happy, just for them."  
  
"I can't Rem..." Sirius said, unable to control the flow of tears streaming quickly down his cheeks. "I have to go upstairs."  
  
Remus and Harry watched him speed out of the room and head up the stairs.  
  
"Poor guy," Remus said shaking his head.  
  
Harry looked somewhat confused. "Why's ihe like this right now...why didn't he get like this before?"  
  
Remus shrugged. "Being sent to Azkaban right after your parents deaths, Sirius never got a chance to get over it. Things like Christmas are what bring back the most memories. I got just like that after like, the first five Christmas's without everyone. He just can't take it all at once like that. In the future, he'll be able to deal with it, but he has to get over their deaths first."  
  
"Oh," Harry said. "Should we make sure he's alright."  
  
"Well, we know he's not. I think right now he should be alone if he wants to be. He'll come find us if he needs us."  
  
"Right," Harry said.  
  
"How about a game of chess before bed, Harry?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
They actually played two games. Remus one both and then they both went to bed. On the way to his room, Harry stopped into Sirius's to say goodnight. He found his godfather tangled in a mass of blankets, his face still wet from tears, sound asleep. He stepped out and then went on to his own room. He was quickly as soundly asleep as Sirius.  
  
The next morning Harry woke up to whispered voices. He cracked one eye open and saw Sirius and Remus talking in his doorway. He slowly sat up and glared at them.  
  
Sirius just laughed at him. "Don't you dare glare at me, Harry Potter!"  
  
"Why are you waking me up? What time is it?"  
  
"It is nine o'clock. I can't sleep past six on Christmas day. Do you know how much it took not to wake you up sooner?!"  
  
Harry sighed and fell back on his pillows. Remus laughed, but Sirius, like a drill sergeant bent down next to his ear and yelled. "Harry James Potter! Your presence is requested immediately in the living room. If you refuse to get up, consequences will consist of a bucket of ice water!"  
  
Harry smirked and tossed his pillow in Sirius's face. He then sat up again and swung his legs out. He was just wearing boxers, so he threw on some pajama pants and a sweatshirt and left the room with Sirius and Remus. They both rushed down the stairs before him and stood next to the Christmas tree. Presents extended nearly six feet around it. They couldn't wait to see the expression on Harry's face when he saw it. Remus even had a camera ready.  
  
Harry seemed confused as he slowly made his way down the stairs, but he immediately figured it out when he reached the bottom. His jaw dropped open as he saw the piles of gifts wrapped in bright, shiny paper. There were big ones and small ones, some in funny shaped packages. Harry just stared at them, not saying a word, but joy in his eyes. He really seemed like a five year old boy, rather than a fifteen year old, but Sirius and Remus understood the reasoning behind that. Remus snapped a few pictures and then got Harry to sit down on the couch. He sat next to him and Sirius sat between the couch and the tree.  
  
"What do you think, Harry?" Sirius asked, smiling knowingly. "I can't believe you guys did all this...definitely the best Christmas I've ever had and I haven't even opened them yet."  
  
Sirius laughed at him and then yelled, "C'mon Sorai, are you almost ready?!"  
  
"Two more minutes, Sirius!" Came Sorai's voice from the kitchen. And in just under that Sorai came out carrying mugs of cocoa for all of them as well as a plate of muffins.  
  
"Dig in Harry, so we can crack into those gifts."  
  
Harry wasted no time, nor did the others. In no time they had all eaten and Harry was being handed his first present. It was from Sirius. He opened it to reveal a photo album. The album had pictures that Sirius had some how collected. Unlike the one Hagrid had given him, this one chronicled the life of Harry. In it he found pictures of himself as a baby, surrounded constantly by Remus, Sirius, and his parents. There were pictures of him at the Dursley's too, wizarding photos of him at the Dursleys. He flipped further and found pictures of him at school some from each of his five years. There were also newspaper clippings throughout the entire thing.  
  
He looked up at Sirius with watery eyes. "How did you do this?"  
  
Sirius beamed seeing how happy it made Harry. "Well, the baby ones are all mine, and a few are Remus's. I made copies of everything, so I have the same album really. Anyway, I imagine you remember a lady by the name of Arabella Figg?"  
  
Harry nodded suspiciously.  
  
"Well, she was your fathers nanny when he was a kid. Remus asked her to keep an eye on you while you were there. She took lots of pictures and Remus kept a running account of them all those years you were stuck there."  
  
"So, I didn't just forget about you," Remus said smiling.  
  
"I know," Harry muttered, smiling at a picture where he was rolling on the grass laughing, he had just accidentally sent Dudley up a tree. There were tons like that.  
  
"And the Hogwarts ones?"  
  
"We got those from various sources. I bribed the Creevy kid for some, and the rest I got from the professors. Without letting the students know, they are constantly taking pictures of you students. They got some great ones of you, Ron and Hermione, didn't they?"  
  
"I like this one," Harry said pointing to one of Harry talking to Hagrid by the lake.  
  
"Thanks so much, Sirius."  
  
"You're welcome, bud."  
  
Next Harry unwrapped a present from Remus. It was an ordinary, blank muggle video tape. There was a piece of masking tape on the side of it that said, "LJ Wedding."  
  
Harry looked up hopefully and Remus smiled and nodded back. It was a tape of his parents wedding.  
  
"This was actually supposed to be a birthday present, but I never had the chance to give you it. I actually didn't have a copy of my own. I found this at the Dursleys. I umm...searched it after they had been killed. I think your aunt did have some love left for your mother, even if she didn't show it. Otherwise she wouldn't have kept this."  
  
"Can we watch it?"  
  
"After you open the rest of your presents," Sirius said like it was a punishment. Harry grinned at him. He opened the rest of his presents and wound up with stacks of books, clothes, and weird wizard devices that were supposed to keep him safe. He felt like he had the same amount of defense equipment as Mad Eye Moody. Sirius and Remus opened their presents as well, but they made Harry finish first. Harry had gotten each of them a framed picture of the three of them. It had been taken over the summer by Sorai, just before Remus had been sent away. Here he was thinking he had been clever for the pictures, but it was nothing compared to what Sirius had given him. Both Remus and Sirius loved the pictures, though.  
  
He also got them small things, like nice nameplates for their offices at school, etc.  
  
And, Sorai, not to be forgotten received a few things from each of them. She felt she didn't deserve anything at all though, and was simply not in the Christmas spirit. Once everything was opened and neatly arranged in piles, the four of them sat down and watched the tape of Harry's parents wedding. He sat in a silent reverie as he watched the film. It was the first time he had seen his parents in action, the first time he heard his parents talking in normal voices. He had of course heard his parents when he was close to the dementors, but never had he heard the happy music of his mothers voice, and the laughter behind every word his father said.  
  
Harry's eyes were misted over as he watched the ceremony. He wanted to cry when he saw the tears of joys in his mothers eyes as James and she walked through the crowds throwing rice at them as they left the church. The tape cut for a few seconds and then they all reappeared wearing different clothes. It was the wedding reception. The camera was focused on the happy couple. A familiar voice came from behind the camera, Sirius's.  
  
"Mr. And Mrs. James Potter, how does it feel to know you will never sleep with another human being for the rest of your lives?"  
  
Lily blushed and smacked Sirius, making the camera wobble. James just laughed at his best friend. "It feels amazing," he whispered, staring lovingly into Lily's eyes. She smiled and kissed him softly on the lips.  
  
"Awww..." came Sirius's voice from behind the camera. Lily just shook her head at Sirius, grinning from ear to ear.  
  
"Congratulations," another very familiar voice came and Remus stepped directly in front of the camera, so that all that was seen was the black of his tuxedo. Sirius moved so he got a full shot of them all. He first hugged James and then Lily.  
  
"Thanks Moony," James said. Remus was smiling, but there was a sadness in his eyes, Harry noticed.  
  
"Are you okay, Rem?" James asked. "I mean, you were supposed to be the first to tie the knot...but with what happened...are you alright?"  
  
Remus smiled earnestly and said, "I'll be fine. Thanks James." James patted Remus lightly on the back. Then Peter came up behind them all. Harry wanted to throw something at the screen, to yell and warn his parents, but he kept his mouth shut and watched, biting his lip.  
  
"Hey guys, that was a great wedding. Excellent food!"  
  
Lily laughed at him and James hit him lightly on the back. "I'm glad you liked it Wormtail. Maybe it'll be your turn soon."  
  
Wormtail looked hopeful. "Maybe I'll go try to meet a lady right now!"  
  
They all laughed as they watched him go away. "The day Wormtail gets a lady is the day I betray James and Lily," Sirius laughed as did the rest of the group.  
  
"Jamie!!!!" A shrill voice yelled and the camera was turned to Sorai who was running towards them in a pink sundress. She threw her arms around one of her second brothers and hugged him tight. "Congratulations!"  
  
"And Lil' Lily!"  
  
"Hey, Sorai!" she said, hugging her back.  
  
"Sor, you want to take the camera? I'm sick of it! I want to be in this film too!" Sirius whined like a child.  
  
Sorai looked into the camera and said, "Of course little brother!" Then there was a bunch of blurriness until the camera focused on Sirius.  
  
"Hello," he said starring into the camera, "My name is Sirius Black, and I am the best man of this wedding," Sirius wrapped his arms around each of his friends shoulders. "I have known James here, and Lillian since we were a mere eleven years old. A long time, wouldn't you say? It is with shock and amazement that I stand here today. It's really a wonder they both haven't killed me yet."  
  
Sirius was blushing as he watched himself. If he recalled correctly he had already downed at least five glasses of wine and was really feeling it. But he was having a good time, and that's all that mattered.  
  
On the tape he went on and on, making all of his friends at the wedding laugh, as well as those in the living room. But soon, the reception ended and a limo was shown driving away, the words "Just Married" written on the back. All that was left was static.  
  
Harry wiped quickly at the tears that had just started flowing over his eyelids and turned to Remus and Sirius, who also were near tears.  
  
"Wow," Sorai muttered. Even she was close to tears and she had known the Potter's the least.  
  
"You okay, Harry?" Remus asked, putting his hand on Harry's shoulder.  
  
"Thank you so much," Harry muttered hugging Remus. He rubbed Harry back as he hugged him, knowing full well what emotions were probably running through Harry's head just then. "You don't know how much this means to me. I-I never heard their voices before...I didn't know the way they acted...now I know." Harry said, letting the tears out.  
  
Remus laughed slightly and rocked Harry back and forth. "You're welcome Harry." Sirius cried a bit too, but he kept it relatively hidden.  
  
Once Harry had stopped crying he asked, "How did Aunt Petunia get a copy of that?"  
  
"Every guest at the wedding got one. Most of them probably could have done without the scene with me, but you know, I'm glad they did so I could see it again."  
  
"If every person at the wedding had one, how come you didn't get one, Remus?"  
  
"Well," Remus said looking slightly embarrassed. "After they died I watched it so many times it, er, broke."  
  
Harry looked at him with a sad smile.  
  
"I think we've all done enough moping today, how about we do something fun!" Sirius said, trying his best to lighten the mood.  
  
"Like what?" Harry asked.  
  
"Snowball fight?" Remus suggested.  
  
Sirius grinned evilly and nodded. They all got up and put on snow gear and trekked through the deep snow. They took their places around the yard and began making forts. It was going to be Sirius and Harry against Remus and Sorai. Using mostly magic Sirius constructed a huge snow fortress. He made the walls of it completely indestructible and constructed a window of ice so they could see what the others were up to.  
  
Remus and Sorai, who said they were "playing fair" constructed a regular snow fort the way any muggle would have.  
  
Sirius shook his head at the sight of them. "Playing fair my ass," he said. "Wait till you see what Moony over there can do with a snowball. He knows every trick in the book."  
  
"He's that good huh?" Harry asked.  
  
"Lets just say he doesn't really need a fort at all."  
  
Harry gulped, "We're doomed."  
  
"Not quite, I know a few good ones myself."  
  
Harry looked at him skeptically and then began forming huge snowballs with his gloved hand. He had a small pile of them ready when Remus and Sorai called saying they'd finish. The snowball war was ready to begin. Sirius took two of the snowballs Harry had made and rushed out of the snow fort. He threw them into the air and muttered some curse that sent both of them right at Remus who had left his fort to throw some Sirius's way. Sirius's snow balls went high in the air when they reached Remus and fell straight down on his head. He glared at Remus but laughed when his hit. As his snowball went it got bigger and bigger. It was larger than Sirius's head when it hit him in the stomach, knocking him down and burying him in snow. The war went on like this. Each trying different techniques with each throw. Sirius taught Harry a lot of tricks and they were definitely holding there own, but definitely losing as well.  
  
Once Sirius and Harry were thoroughly soaked, and Remus and Sorai only mildly soaked, they went inside. They ate grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch, one of Sirius's favorites and then watched a new movie that Remus had gotten for Sirius. After that Harry spent the rest of the night alone in his room, trying to find places for all his new things. Once everything was packed away he once again looked through his new photo album. Over and over again he flipped through the pictures, paying special attention to the ones taken before his parents died. They both looked so happy when he was around them. In every picture they beamed with pride at the sight of their baby boy. He opened to one of himself sleeping on his fathers chest. One of James's arms was wrapped securely around Harry's back, the other was wrapped around his sleeping wife. It was a beautiful picture and Harry fell asleep staring at it.  
  
The next morning Sirius came to wake him up. Harry had slept much later than he usually did, and it was time for him to get ready for the arrival of his friends. He smiled to himself as he saw the picture. He lifted the album off of Harry's lap and set it aside. Then he set to work waking Harry.  
  
It didn't take much to do it. Harry groggily opened his eyes and tried unsuccessfully to wipe the sleep out of them.  
  
"Morning Sunshine," Sirius joked.  
  
Harry stretched his arms and then tried to focus on Sirius, but found he couldn't. Squinting, he tried harder, but everything was still blurry. Sirius laughed at him and put his glasses on his face. Harry blushed and smiled.  
  
"What time is it?"  
  
"Almost eleven. Your friends are supposed to be here around 12:30, you should get up and get ready."  
  
Harry nodded and Sirius left the room. Harry sat up in bed and looked over at his album. Again, he picked it up and looked through it, this time he stared at one picture of Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the common room together third year. They looked so happy and carefree.  
  
That's just the way that Harry wanted them to be today. He didn't want to think about the bad things that day, didn't want to worry about protecting them. For the day, Harry wanted nothing more than to have fun with his friends, and maybe soon find himself with another picture, similar to the one he was staring at.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Abrupt ending, but it had to end sometime. Originally that was going to be the last chapter, but I couldn't fit it all in. Which means I'm going to have to add a bit of fluff into the last chapter. I'm considering that to be a good thing, but you may disagree, I'm sorry if that's so. My goal is to have the last chapter out by Sunday, but I don't always meet my goals, so we shall see. 


	33. Chapter 33

Here it is, the end of "In Need of Sirius Help". I'm sad, how about you? I hope you all enjoy it. I don't think this chapter really gives the story justice, but it was the best I could do. I probably shouldn't have included Christmas, but I just couldn't resist! It just made it really hard to draw out enough.  
  
Anyway, I hope you enjoy!  
  
A/N: Lamina Court: About Remus's old flame, she's talked about in the earlier parts of the story. I actually made a mistake with her in the beginning, she goes by either Madeline or Melody. Oops, lol. So, that will not be elaborated on, sorry she went forgotten!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Harry took a quick, hot shower that morning and then got some breakfast with Sirius and Remus. Sorai was working that day, so she wouldn't be around. This was good because although she and Sirius had made amends there was still a little tension between the two of them.  
  
After they finished breakfast they went into the living room to wait for their guests to arrive. First through the fireplace was Ron. He had a sack full of presents, just like Santa Clause. Harry laughed at him before greeting. He then helped Ron empty the sack. Next came Hermione who dropped all of her gifts on the floor so she could give everyone bear hugs. The others then helped hers with the gifts as well. Nearly fifteen minutes later came a very late Neville Longbottom. This really wasn't much of a surprise.  
  
He received knowing looks from everyone present the moment he appeared in the living room.  
  
"What...?" He asked, confused. When he didn't receive an answer he ignored the glances and said, "Sorry I'm late, I...er...accidentally went to the wrong house."  
  
Everyone laughed.  
  
"Where'd you end up?" Sirius asked through his laughter.  
  
"Umm...someplace with dead animal heads all over the wall. It was awful this guy came out pointing some metal pole thing at me. I don't think he was a wizard actually...I don't know how I got there."  
  
"Only you, Neville. Only you," Remus muttered, laughing hysterically. Hermione, however, didn't find it funny.  
  
"How'd you get out?" She asked worriedly.  
  
"I went back in, the flames were still green and said the name of this place over again. This time it worked. I don't think I've ever been that scared though...except that time when I had to tell McGonagall that I was the one who wrote down the passwords, or the first time a flew a broom, or that time..."  
  
He stopped when he saw that everyone was again laughing hysterically at him. He looked up sheepishly and smiled. Then he too started laughing.  
  
Once they had calmed down Sirius said, "As long as you're safely here now."  
  
Neville nodded.  
  
"Sirius and I are going to stay out of your hair for most of this little party, but we want to see what you got each other...so how 'bout you do that now and the rest of the day you can do whatever you want without us old guys?"  
  
"What have I told you about calling me an old guy?!" Sirius yelled indignantly.  
  
Remus just shook his head.  
  
"That's fine, Remus...and you guys don't have to leave later. I don't mind if these guys don't."  
  
They all signified that they didn't mind.  
  
"We'll see," Remus said not really wanting to see Sirius behaving like a teenager again.  
  
"So present time?" Ron asked excitedly.  
  
"Right," Harry said and they all took seats in a circle on the floor.  
  
First Harry handed out all of his presents. He had gotten Hermione a book about school prefects of the past. She was stoked. For Ron he got two tickets to a quidditch game for the summer. He thought it would be fun to go see another professional game. For Neville, he got the most original gift.  
  
Neville jumped when the package moved as he took it into his hands.  
  
"Don't worry." Harry said.  
  
Neville nodded and then took the shiny paper off of it. Inside was a large toad, similar to Trevor. Neville didn't look all that happy.  
  
"A toad..." he said, trying his best to look happy about it.  
  
Harry laughed at his effort. "But don't worry, unlike Trevor this one won't constantly run away. See that little vial in there?"  
  
Neville nodded.  
  
"Well, when you're alone, you feed that to him and then make sure he looks at you and no one else. Then he'll never leave you, except for emergencies. The lady at the shop told me he was very well trained."  
  
At this Neville looked very excited. He loved Trevor, but he was really too much of a hassle.  
  
"Thanks, Harry."  
  
"No problem," Harry replied, smiling.  
  
Next Hermione handed out her gifts. She got Ron a hide-away. This was a watch like tool that when worn made him seem busy, even if he was sitting around playing chess by himself. So when he wanted to be alone, particularly away from Percy, he could be. Ron was ecstatic. She got Neville a hand pen, a device that could write whatever he wanted on his hand and no one else could see it. This was particularly so he could remember passwords which he was still having a lot of problems with.  
  
Ron was just as excited with the gift as he was with his own. "Hey, you could write answers to tests on your hand with that! Think I could borrow it some time?"  
  
"As long as it's not in my class," Sirius quipped.  
  
Hermione was gaping, "I-didn't think of that. You better not, Neville, or you'll never learn."  
  
Neville nodded at her, but Harry noticed him give Ron a conniving wink. Ron beamed.  
  
Finally, Harry opened his present. He looked at the small ball, it looked like the remembrall Neville had first year, but it was different. It was smaller, and it came on a chain.  
  
"Uh, what is it?"  
  
"It's a type of sneak-o-scope. But unlike ordinary ones this one allows you to put in who you really think is an enemy. When they're near, it turns deep blue. It also suspects enemies, like an ordinary sneak-o-scope. Then it turns green. As it's crystal clear right now, you're safe. The only problem with it is that you have to figure out who and where the enemy is. But it's a warning."  
  
Harry smiled as he put it over his head. "Thanks Hermione. I just hope I don't really need it."  
  
"Amen," Sirius said. Everyone laughed.  
  
Then it was Ron's turn to pass out gifts. He got Hermione a necklace with a heart shaped pendant. She swooned over it. Harry then, for the first time noticed the slight attraction between the two of them, though both pretended there was none. No relationship would come between them immediately, but someday, Harry thought. He got Neville a huge package of candy from the replacement of Honeydukes. It was alright, but no where near as good as the old store. Neville said he would have to hide it until he got back to school, his gram would never let him have that much candy.  
  
Harry, much to his amusement, received two tickets to a quidditch match, it was a different one, luckily, but funny nonetheless.  
  
"Looks like we'll be seeing a lot of quidditch this summer, eh Ron?"  
  
"Hey, who said I was taking you?" Ron asked with a twinkle in his eye.  
  
"Why'd you think I gave you two tickets. Just in case you said that, I wrote my name on one of them. You're taking me whether you like it or not."  
  
Ron laughed and then flipped over one of his tickets. Written in thick red pen he had written his name as well. They thought it was hysterical, though the rest of the group didn't. Sirius feigned a yawn and they took the hint and moved on. It was Neville's turn.  
  
His first gift went to Ron. He got him a never ending rope of bertie botts every flavor beans. It was similar to an ever lasting gobstopper from the movie "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory". It would last forever. Ron was thoroughly excited and ripped it open and started eating.  
  
Hermione opened a package that contained a book of reversal spells.  
  
"To get me out of any spots of trouble, you know me," Neville said shyly. He had had a particularly hard time finding her a gift.  
  
Finally, Harry opened the last package of the night. He opened it and first found the same gift as Ron, but there was more. At the bottom of the box was an old pin. He looked questioningly at Neville.  
  
"My Gran used to be friends with your grandmother, on you dad's side. That belonged to your grandfather. He left it at my Gran's house shortly before they died. Thought you might like to have it."  
  
Harry smiled at it. It had a red ruby in a gold setting in the shape of a wizard hat.  
  
"I love it, thanks," Harry said.  
  
"No problem," Neville said smiling. Harry stared at the pin for a while and thought he could see the reflections of his grandparents in it, but figured it was just his imagination. He was glad to have it though, as it gave him a better feeling of family.  
  
"What are we going to do now?" Ron asked.  
  
"Quidditch? My firebolt's at school but Sirius and Remus have plenty of old ones."  
  
Hermione groaned and Neville looked terrified.  
  
"Okay, how about we just do a little flying...we won't let you fall Neville."  
  
"Alright, I'll try."  
  
"Fine," Hermione said. They all got bundled up and headed out with broomsticks that Sirius had gone to get. It didn't take long for everyone to realize just how badly the broomsticks sucked. Neville was quite happy about this, but Ron and Harry weren't too impressed.  
  
They flew loops around each other, and Neville even got daring enough to go as high as ten feet in the air. Hermione preferred to stay closer to the ground and went only about 5 mph. Harry soon got bored with flying in circles and decided to try something he had wanted to do for a while now, a wronski feint. As he barreled towards the ground Sirius jumped to his feet and watched.  
  
"Harry! What the hell do you think you're doing?" he yelled.  
  
Harry pulled successfully out of it and flew towards a furious Sirius.  
  
"It's called a wronski feint, Sirius, no big deal."  
  
"No big deal! You were inches from the ground, how is that no big deal."  
  
"That's why I did it today, so if I didn't do it right I would have landed in the snow."  
  
"Harry, that's still really dangerous, I don't want you doing that ever again, alright?"  
  
"No, I'm going to do that in a game one of these days. That's quidditch Sirius, it's supposed to be dangerous."  
  
Ron came up behind him and patted his back. "Excellent move Harry! That was bloody brilliant."  
  
Harry beamed, "See?"  
  
Sirius was still fuming. "Don't do it again."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes and took off leaving Sirius still steaming behind.  
  
"Sirius, he's right, that's part of the game. Harry's an excellent flyer, better than you, better than James. He knows his limits. Let him decide."  
  
"I can't watch my godson barrel towards the ground like that, I'm sorry but no...I can't let him keep doing that."  
  
"You have to Sirius, he's not going to stop improving his game, hate to break it to you."  
  
Sirius just shook his head and went inside to mope. Luckily Harry didn't notice and continued to have a good time with his friends.  
  
They went inside and had some lunch, but Sirius stayed away. He wasn't going to try to talk to Harry with all his friends there, he was going to wait until they left.  
  
After lunch they watched a movie, Neville's first, and then everyone went home. Harry then brought his new stuff up to his room and Sirius followed.  
  
Without saying a word, Harry listened to Sirius's steps behind him, his teeth gritting with every clunk of Sirius's shoes. He put his stuff down on his bed and then turned to Sirius whose arms were crossed over his chest.  
  
"What?" Harry asked annoyed.  
  
"You know what."  
  
"Are you still on about the Wronski Feint?"  
  
Sirius nodded, Harry sighed.  
  
"Sirius, it's really not that dangerous, I mean, no one's ever died from it."  
  
"But they sure as hell have been injured by it!"  
  
Harry shrugged. "I've been hurt playing quidditch before. Bones heal."  
  
Sirius looked flabbergasted. "Harry, it's just not safe. I don't want to see you doing shit like that! It scares me. I've almost lost you a couple times already, and I don't want to have to have that happen again over a wronski feint!"  
  
"I'm not going to die, Sirius. As you can see I can do it without getting hurt!"  
  
"Yeah well add in sixteen other players and two bludgers and things change pretty quickly."  
  
Harry sighed and looked annoyed, at Sirius.  
  
"Please, Harry, don't do it again."  
  
"I don't see why you're making such a big deal about this!"  
  
"Because I care about you and I don't want to have to visit you in the hospital wing anymore."  
  
"Sirius, I'm only going to do it when I know I can. If I have any doubts about it, I won't, but God, to forbid me from doing a move that could wow everyone in the stands and win me the game is just stupid! Now will you please leave my room? I want to be alone!"  
  
Sirius was speechless. Harry and he were fighting and he was being kicked out of his godson's room. He turned and walked out, his mouth agape and heard the door slam behind him.  
  
He trudged down the stairs and flopped on the couch. Remus came out of the kitchen and shook his head.  
  
"I told you Sirius, you can't stop him from doing what he wants. He knows his boundaries and has always been good at staying within them."  
  
"Maybe you're right...but why won't he just listen to me?! If I want him to not do something, he shouldn't do it."  
  
"That's what kids do, Sirius, what they want. Especially when it's something they should be able to do. You can't protect him from everything."  
  
"I know, but I sure as hell wish I could."  
  
"Yeah, well, just get over the feintydoo thing and make amends with Harry, dinner will be ready in half an hour."  
  
"What did you make?"  
  
"Chicken."  
  
Sirius nodded and then headed back up the stairs and knocked on Harry's door.  
  
Harry sighed so loud that Sirius could hear it from the hall. But Harry didn't go to the door, nor did he give Sirius permission to enter. Sirius knocked again and didn't receive a response.  
  
It had only been five minutes, Harry thought. He wasn't ready to be told he couldn't be a good quidditch player again. Sirius gave up, finally, and went back downstairs to talk to Moony in the kitchen. When dinner was ready Remus had to go to the stairs to tell Harry because Sirius refused. He did not like being ignored.  
  
The first fifteen minutes of dinner nobody said a word except to ask for something across the table. Harry quickly finished his plate and got up to put in the sink. He then tried to race out of the room.  
  
"Hold it!" Remus said sharply. He got up and dragged Harry back to his seat. Harry glared at both of them as he sat down. "This has got to stop. You two are acting like five year olds over a silly argument. This ends here."  
  
Sirius looked helplessly at Remus.  
  
"Tell him what you were going to tell him earlier!" Remus nearly yelled.  
  
"Ahem," Sirius began, "I'm umm, sorry that I tried to stop you from doing what you want...I just worry, you know. I won't try to forbid you from doing anything else. Just, please be really careful. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you, bud."  
  
Harry bit his lip. He wanted to be immature and rant about how annoyed it made him to have Sirius acting like a mother hen, but he knew how hard it was for Sirius, and kept his mouth shut.  
  
"It's okay, just please don't try to tell me how to play quidditch...I know what I'm doing."  
  
"I know you do...you just really scared me today. I didn't think that was a move, I thought you had lost control of your broomstick," Sirius said, slightly embarrassed but laughing at himself.  
  
"The only time I've ever done that was when Voldemort jinxed my broom. I don't loose control. Stop worrying about me...at least in respect to quidditch."  
  
Sirius nodded. "Just promise me that you won't give me a heart attack at any of the games from here on out."  
  
"Well, I can't make any guarantees. Just, if you think I'm doing something stupid, shut your eyes."  
  
Sirius glared and punched Harry lightly on the arm. "You know my eyes would be stuck wide open if I thought you were in trouble...I'd probably jump out of the stands and try to steal someone's broom to rescue you."  
  
Harry laughed picturing the scenario.  
  
"So...will you never kick me out of your room again?"  
  
"If you'll never tell me how to play quidditch again."  
  
"It's a deal."  
  
Sirius ruffled Harry's hair and Remus smiled.  
  
"Can I go now, Remus?" Harry asked seriously.  
  
"Of course," he replied smiling. Harry smiled back and went to his room to put his enemies into his sneak-o-scope. He then sat on his bed, looking through his photo album, yet again. As he went through it he began to feel a little light headed. The feeling soon turned to nausea and before Harry had gotten halfway through his album he was running to the bathroom. He made it just in time and threw up right into the toilet.  
  
Sirius's attentive ears had picked up on the sound and he ran to the bathroom. He heard the sounds of Harry vomiting in the toilet and threw the door open. Harry was kneeling in front of the toilet, his arms holding tight to the sides of the toilet, looking spent. Sirius bent down next to him and flushed the toilet.  
  
He rubbed Harry's back and said, "Are you alright, bud?"  
  
Harry shook his head and then threw up again in the toilet. Sirius helped hold him up as he did so.  
  
"Think it's all up?" Sirius asked, concerned.  
  
Harry nodded. Sirius wiped his mouth with a wash cloth and then gave him some mouth wash before helping him back to his room. It had taken a lot out of him, and he was pretty weak. Sirius helped him get into his pajamas and then into his bed. He summoned a large bowl and stuck it right next to Harry on his bed.  
  
"Barf bucket," he mumbled.  
  
Harry smiled meekly, "Thanks Sirius."  
  
"No problem bud...have you been feeling low all day?"  
  
"Not really," he mumbled. "I had a stomach ache since I woke up, but I felt somewhat okay...not like this. What a great ending for such a good day, huh? A fight with you and now this."  
  
"I'm sorry, Harry," Sirius said, feeling bad for having instigated the fight.  
  
"It's fine now, Sirius," he muttered back.  
  
"Does anything else hurt?"  
  
"My throat, a little..." he mumbled. Sirius put the back of his hand against his forehead.  
  
"Holy shit! You're burning up!"  
  
"Burning up? Are you sure I'm not burning down? Can burning really be directional?"  
  
"Shit! You're delirious too."  
  
"Delerius...Hermione, you must have read every book in the library to know that one."  
  
Sirius would have laughed if he hadn't been so worried. Rather, he ran to the bathroom and ran a washcloth under cold water. He brought it back and placed it over Harry's head. He was still talking nonsense though. Eventually he talked himself to sleep. This is when Sirius left to find Remus.  
  
Remus was lying in his bed reading a book when Sirius barged in.  
  
"Harry's sick!"  
  
"Really? He seemed fine earlier."  
  
"But he's not now, I found him throwing up in the bathroom and now he's asleep...he was completely delirious, and he's burning up! I don't know what to do!"  
  
"Calm down Sirius, it's probably just the flu or something. He has been out in the cold a lot, it would make sense. What have you done for him?"  
  
"Put a wet rag on his head and gave him a barf bucket."  
  
Remus smiled, "Then you did the right thing, Sirius. That's all you really can do right now...just wait and see if he's better in the morning, if he's not then we'll take him to the doctor."  
  
"Okay...but he's really hot! I've never felt skin that hot."  
  
"Sirius, he'll be fine. Why don't you stay in there with him and see if it gets worse. If it does, then come get me and we'll take him to the doctor...I don't have anything that'll help."  
  
Sirius looked defeated and nodded his head. He hurried back to Harry's room and sat by his bed, watching him mumble nonsense in his sleep. He methodically checked the temperature of Harry's head, it never went down, but thankfully it never went up either. After nearly three hours of watch over Harry, Sirius began to doze off. He was suddenly awoken, however, when Harry woke up and started heaving. Sirius snapped into action and held the bowl up for Harry. When he had finished he laid back roughly on his pillow and sighed deeply.  
  
Sirius patted down Harry's hair and gently rubbed his shoulder.  
  
"I feel like shit, Sirius," Harry mumbled.  
  
Sirius laughed slightly and said, "I know you do bud, but there's nothing we can do...I already talked to Remus. He said if you're fever worsens we'll take you to the doctor...I didn't know it was possible to get sick so suddenly. You really didn't feel it coming on at all?"  
  
Harry shook his head slowly and blinked a few times before refocusing on Sirius.  
  
"I think I'm going to...throw up again," he said, but didn't do anything, just looked disgustedly at the bowl filled with his stomach contents. Sirius muttered a spell and the bowl was clean.  
  
"I don't think there's much left in there, Harry..." Sirius said jokingly.  
  
"Trust me...there is," Harry said and leaned towards the bowl and let out some more.  
  
"I think I'm done now."  
  
"Okay," Sirius said, again cleaning the bowl and setting it aside. He put his hand on Harry's forehead again and shook his head. "That fever is awful, Harry...you're covered in sweat."  
  
Harry didn't say anything but stared at Sirius with the kind of haunting eyes only sick people have.  
  
"Remus said to wait until your fever worsened to take you to the hospital, but I think I should take you now...do you want to go?"  
  
Harry thought about it for a moment and then shook his head. "I'll be fine Sirius...don't need to go to the doctor. Just a cold."  
  
Sirius shook his head, not really believing him. "I can't lose you bud...are you sure you'll be alright?"  
  
Slowly, Harry nodded.  
  
"Okay...why don't you try to go back to sleep?"  
  
Again a soft nod. "Thank you, Sirius."  
  
"It's my pleasure, Harry...I love you bud, hope you feel better."  
  
"Me too."  
  
Sirius laughed and replaced the rag on Harry's head. Pressing it lightly every now and then. He stayed up the rest of that night watching Harry sleep.  
  
At about nine o'clock the next day Remus came into the room.  
  
"How's he doing?"  
  
"He's been asleep for about ten hours, now. He woke up once and threw up a bit. His temperature has gone down a little...but look how pale he is."  
  
Remus stepped closer and looked at Harry. He was shaking slightly, like he was cold, though he was wrapped in blankets. As Sirius had done he put his hand on Harry's forehead and found it to be extremely hot.  
  
"Should we wake him and ask how he's feeling?"  
  
"I don't think so," Remus said. "Sleeping will only make him better....it's just, he has no food in him, he's actually probably hungry."  
  
"But if he eats, he'll just throw it all up..." Sirius began.  
  
"I know, but his body wants food. He needs something that he can hold down."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Crackers...toast, water."  
  
"Will you get some for when he wakes up?"  
  
"Sure, anything for you?"  
  
Sirius shook his head.  
  
"You need to eat, Sirius, don't be stupid."  
  
"I've witnessed too much vomiting in the last twenty four hours, I don't think I could hold anything down either."  
  
Remus rolled his eyes and left the room. Sirius, in the meantime slowly stroked Harry's hair, struggling to keep his eyes open at the same time. He was failing miserably. Before Remus returned with a plate of crackers he was leaning against the bed, snoring loudly. Remus laughed and transfigured Sirius's chair into a cot. He carefully laid his friend back onto it and threw a blanket over him.  
  
"He's probably going to get sick, too," Remus mumbled to himself. He sat on the edge of Harry's bed and gently shook his shoulder. "Harry," he whispered a few times. It was enough to wake him.  
  
It took him a while, but he managed to focus his gaze on Remus.  
  
"Hey, how you feeling?" Remus asked soothingly.  
  
"Not so good..." Harry answered groggily. "But I'll live."  
  
"I know you will. Looks like you have the flu."  
  
Harry nodded and his stomach growled.  
  
Remus smiled at him. "Hungry?"  
  
"Yeah, but I don't think I should eat anything," Harry muttered.  
  
"You need to Harry. Here, I brought you crackers, you should be able to hold them down."  
  
"Fine," he said, grabbing one and slowly munching on it. It did make him feel a little better to have the crackers in him, he ate nearly the entire plate of them. "Thanks Remus."  
  
"No problem, Harry," he said, feeling his forehead again. "Your fever's going down. Sirius will be happy."  
  
"It is?"  
  
"Yeah, do you feel any better?"  
  
"Well my stomach does, but I feel worse everywhere else...I can't really breath." Harry said, trying to force air through his nose. It didn't work. Remus laughed at his fruitless efforts.  
  
"The fact that you're fever's down is a good sign. You're going to feel pretty shitty for a few days, but it's clear now that this is just the flu...a normal part of life."  
  
Harry nodded and yawned.  
  
"You want to go back to sleep?"  
  
"No, I don't think I could sleep more if I wanted to, you know?"  
  
"Yeah, I have to go clean up though...you want me to get you something to do? A book or something?"  
  
"No, I'll find something."  
  
"Okay, see you in a few."  
  
Harry watched him go and leaned hard into his pillows and stretched. He breathed deeply through his mouth causing himself to cough. And he coughed. And he coughed some more. He coughed so loud that he woke Sirius out of his sleep.  
  
He immediately was at Harry's side as he continued to cough. He patted Harry's back and asked, "Are you alright, do you need anything?"  
  
Harry laughed at how worried Sirius was over the coughing, which caused him to cough even harder.  
  
Sirius grabbed some water and gave it to Harry who quickly drank it. It soothed the coughing fit he was having.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine...just a little cough," Harry said hoarsely.  
  
Sirius felt Harry's forehead, "Your fever's gone!"  
  
"I know, Remus told me...I feel worse though."  
  
"You do?"  
  
"Yeah...my throat, and I'm all stuffed up."  
  
"Well that won't kill you...a fever could. I've heard of it happening. I was really worried there...thought I was about to lose you again."  
  
"You'll never lose me...I'll probably end up losing you, first."  
  
"Hopefully of old age, when you're ready to see me go."  
  
"I'll never be ready, but I know what you mean."  
  
Sirius grinned at Harry. They played chess together for a while before Remus came up and joined them. Like they had the previous summer they sat around playing chess and having a good time. Harry tried to ignore the fact that he couldn't breath and that his throat was on fire and have a good time. He did.  
  
After a while, though, Sirius started to look a little more like Harry. Remus had been right, he too was getting sick. Towards the end of the day Sirius had begun throwing up as well, though he didn't have a fever quite like Harry's.  
  
Once Sirius had gotten past the throwing up stage, he sat drearily on the cot and moaned softly. He did not want to get up and go to his own room. He didn't want to move.  
  
Remus looked at him and shook his head. "You may as well stay here the night, Sirius. It doesn't look like you could make it out the door. It'll also keep your germs from going around the house. If Harry doesn't mind, that is."  
  
They both looked at Harry, Sirius with pleading eyes. Harry smiled tiredly and said, "It's fine with me...so long as he doesn't snore."  
  
"I don't snore!" Sirius mumbled indignantly.  
  
"You were snoring this morning when you fell asleep."  
  
"Hey, you both snore," Remus said, receiving two evil glares.  
  
He laughed and said, "I'll go make some chicken soup for you two and then you should get some rest, okay?"  
  
They both nodded, both were perfectly willing to be waited upon by Remus.  
  
When he left, Sirius rolled on to his side and looked at Harry. "You made me sick," he said stuffily.  
  
Harry smirked, "Couldn't help it...sorry."  
  
"S'ok I guess...now I get to be waited on."  
  
"I know, it's nice having Remus around when I'm sick...you were pretty good too, until you came down with it."  
  
"Yeah, unfortunately, my immunes system isn't as good as Remus's. He never gets sick."  
  
"Lucky," Harry said, though it sounded more like 'ducky' due to his clogged nose.  
  
"I feel like shit," Sirius muttered.  
  
"Me too..." Harry mumbled.  
  
"You should be feeling better, I'm just hitting the brunt of it."  
  
"Newsflash Sirius, I still feel just as bad as when it started."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Harry nodded and sighed. He lay there for a while, thinking, and then said, "Thank you."  
  
"Huh?" Sirius asked drowsily.  
  
"I said, thank you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because...you saved me."  
  
"Harry it's just the flu, you weren't going to die."  
  
"I don't mean just now...your helping me, and getting sick for me, just put everything into perspective somehow. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead, insane, or still with the Dursleys. You saved me from it all."  
  
"Wait, how would you have been insane?" Sirius asked dumbly.  
  
Harry pondered for a moment and then said, "I don't really know...but I could be."  
  
"I guess," Sirius mumbled with a slight laugh.  
  
"Anyways, you saved me from it all...you got me out of the Dursleys, I mean, I could have died right there on the floor."  
  
"You would have...remember, Moony had to do that Recardiate thing once we got here."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So Moony saved you," Sirius said, almost dejectedly.  
  
"No, but you were the one who got me out of there, even though you needed Remus's help, you were the one who came to get me. And you were the one who stopped me from getting on the train, and you helped me when Remus was sent away, and when Mrs. Weasley died, and when Hagrid died. I couldn't have gotten through that with out you...and now you helped me when I was sick...you watched me throw up! That must mean something, so thanks."  
  
"You saved me too, Harry."  
  
"How do you figure?"  
  
"Well, you gave me a little meaning, a reason to keep fighting. When I had my trial, I probably wouldn't have won with out you. I would never have gotten that job at Hogwarts. I'd never know I was related to Dumbledore...I NEVER would have made it through Remus being taken away, never...I was strong for you, and it got me through it."  
  
Harry gave a pouty smile and said, "We're way to sappy for our own good."  
  
Sirius nodded his agreement, "But I wouldn't want it any other way."  
  
"Me neither. Thanks again."  
  
"You're welcome, and thank you too."  
  
"No prob."  
  
"Love you bud."  
  
"Love you too Sirius."  
  
"Hey what about me?" Remus said, trying to balance a tray with two bowls of soup.  
  
"We love you too Moony...and you help us immensely as well. We'd be nowhere without you," Sirius said smoothly. Harry couldn't help but laugh.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Here's your dinner. Enjoy." He left the room so as not to get sick as well and Sirius and Harry ate in silence. They finished quickly and then set their bowls aside and said goodnight.  
  
That night, the both slept soundly, though each was snoring so loudly that Remus could hear them down the hall. Despite their illnesses they both slept peacefully, as there was no longer anything for them to worry about. They had defeated the enemies, and overcome many obstacles. With the help of Sirius Harry overcame every road block he encountered. In return he helped Sirius in ways he'd never really understand. Together they created a force that could never be conquered. As long as they were always had each other, they could defeat anything and anyone that got in their way.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, so the ending is probably the cheesiest thing I ever wrote. What I tried to do was bring back some old aspects of the story, hope it worked. It's really the best ending I could think of. Who knew endings could be so tough?  
  
Expect my new story out soon, I've already written some of it and am looking forward to getting to the heart of it!  
  
This story will be updated one more time for review reviews in a week or two. I think I owe you all that if nothing else!  
  
THANKS FOR READING!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


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